


Very Special Agent

by itswitchcraft_not_googlemaps



Series: Very Special Agent [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 15:19:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16835260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itswitchcraft_not_googlemaps/pseuds/itswitchcraft_not_googlemaps
Summary: This is a fun little series that I originally posted over on Tumblr. It follows Tony DiNozzo and his relationship with and original female character named Vivienne.





	1. Chapter 1

It was a Friday afternoon in January at NCIS. Fortunately for the agents, their work was wrapping up for the evening and they were eager to get themselves out the door. The loudest about it was Anthony DiNozzo. He’d been going on all day about his plans despite being blatantly ignored by his colleagues.

“Tony, do you still want some company tonight?” McGee cringed as he offered.

“Actually McWing-man, I’ve got that covered, but thanks!” Standing he slung his bag over his shoulder.

“Oh really?” Ziva was interested to see who he’d convinced to drag along to this jazz club he’d been going on and on about all day.

McGee was visibly relieved, not particularly relishing an evening out as Tony’s wing-man. “Yeah, who’d you sucker in to going with you?”

Coming up behind the trio was the voice of Dr. Mallard. “I guess I am the sucker, Timothy.”

Face flushing, McGee turned to the doctor. “Sorry Ducky.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” He laughed it off, knowing he’d meant no harm. “I haven’t been to a jazz club in ages. It’ll be a nice change to my Friday evening.”

“You’re gonna love it, Duck.” Tony clapped him on his shoulder as they all headed for the elevator.

Entering the club, a live band was in the midst of their set. Patrons were mingling, dancing, or settled among the various tables and booths. Tony guided them back to a small table off to the left of the dance floor. They ordered a couple of drinks and settled back, letting it all sink in.

“So Tony, who is this young lady we are keeping an eye out for?” Ducky leaned in so Tony could hear him over the music.

Tony glanced around. “I don’t see her yet.” Any Friday Tony got the chance, he came to this club and, every time, she was there. But, as soon as he got the opportunity to ask her to dance, buy her a drink, or just introduce himself, she was either occupied with someone else or gone.

“This is very nice, I can see why you come so often.”

Tony nodded as he sipped his drink and that’s when he saw her walk in. She was with the same friend she came with every time. “There she is, Duck.” He nodded in the direction of the two women as they found seats.

Ducky gave a chuckle. “I can see why you’re interested, she is very beautiful.”

“Yeah, but she just slips away every time I get a chance to go over.” He watched as her face lit up while she laughed at whatever her friend was saying. “But, that’s why I’ve brought you with me, Ducky! To see if you can help me out.” He raised his glass to the doctor and turned his attention to the band for a moment as they signed off and turned the stage over to a DJ.

“I’ll see what I can do, Tony.”

They chatted idly for a little while, Tony trying not to be distracted by this mystery woman as she danced and laughed with people she was friendly with.

Standing and straightening his jacket, Ducky turned to Tony. “I’ll return shortly, Tony. I have an idea, just follow my lead.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up as he watched the doctor walk right up to the girls’ table, excuse himself for interrupting, and ask her to dance. He sat back, a little dumbfounded. “Well, I could’ve done that!” Tony muttered to himself, wondering if it had been him would she have said yes.

“My apologies for the interruption, my dear, but you are such a lovely dancer I couldn’t resist asking when the music changed.” Ducky smiled. “I’m Donald Mallard, but you may call me Ducky.”

“Well, Ducky, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Vivienne Montecrieff, and this is my friend Naomi Hodges.” She gestured to her friend as she stood and took his hand. “Naomi, do you mind?”

“No, go ahead, have fun!”

As they moved out to the dance floor, Tony watched carefully, not quite sure where Ducky was going with this.

“I hope you don’t mind me being very forward with you, Vivienne, but I’m here with a friend of mine. He is very taken with you, but he has been a little apprehensive in approaching such a lovely young lady.”

“Oh really? Well, uh, thank you and you can call me Vivi.” She blushed furiously. “What is your friend’s name?”

“His name is Anthony DiNozzo, or Tony. He’s right over there.” He turned her in Tony’s direction.

Vivienne locked eyes with him and smiled. She’d seen him here before and had always hoped he would come talk to her. But, the unfortunate part of knowing a lot of the people that worked or came to the club meant she was inevitably distracted by someone.

As the song came to a close, Ducky stopped them only a few feet from Tony. “Would you be interested in meeting him?”

She was suddenly jittery at the thought, but pushed it aside. “Definitely.”

“Great.” He tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and walked her to the table. “Tony, I would like you to meet my lovely dance partner, Vivienne . Vivienne, my colleague, Tony DiNozzo.”

His hands suddenly felt sweaty as she stood in front of him. Standing, he tried to subtly wipe his hand a little before offering it to her. “Hi, Vivienne . Nice to meet you.” He felt like his smile was weird and she noticed his sweaty hands. Generally, he prided himself on his skill with women, but now was not one of those times.

“Call me Vivi.” She smiled sweetly and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Okay, Vivi.” Tony returned her smile. “Would you and your friend care to join us?”

Vivienne looked over her shoulder to her friend. “Sure, let me go and ask her, I’ll be right back.”

They watched her speak to her friend briefly before they both picked up their drinks and joined the gentlemen at their table. 

“Naomi, this is Ducky, who you’ve already met, and Tony.” Taking a seat, they relaxed into some light conversation: how they’d found the club, how they knew each other, what they did for a living, and so on.

Naomi could tell that Tony and Vivi were captivated by each other. After finishing their second round of drinks, she decided to push them a little. “Ducky, would you like to dance?” She held out her hand to him as she stood up.

“I’d be delighted, Naomi. Maybe you and Vivi would like to join us, Tony?”

“Uh, yeah.” He stood and took Vivienne’s hand. Holding one hand to her waist and her hand in his other, they slowly swayed to the music.

Snaking a hand up his bicep to his shoulder, she tapped with her index finger. “You know, you can hold me a little closer than this.”

His laugh still had a hint of nervousness to it, but he moved his hand to the small of her back and held her hand up by his chest. “I uh-I’m not usually this useless at conversation by the way.”

“You’re not?” she teased, as a more uptempo song came on.

“No.” He released her into a spin and grinned as he pulled her back. “I’m not.”

“Could have fooled me,” Vivienne giggled. “But, you’re talking to me now, and here we are on the dance floor. Doesn’t seem that you’re entirely useless anymore.”

“Well.” He shrugged and smiled softly as he noted the next song. The strains of ‘Something Stupid’ filled the room and, boy, he couldn’t agree with Frank more on this one. He hoped that he wouldn’t say something stupid to spoil this.

They ended up staying until closing time. Ducky and Tony escorted the ladies to their car before saying good night.

“I’m glad we met tonight, Tony.” Vivienne reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Call me sometime?” She tucked a card with her contact information on it into his hand.

“Absolutely. Good night, Vivi.” He held her car door for her and waved as she and Naomi drove off.

“Mission accomplished, Anthony?” Ducky grinned, having thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

“Yes it was, Duck. Thanks.” He clapped him on the back as they headed towards their own cars. Sliding into his car, he looked at her card. He would definitely call her sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony was flipping Vivienne’s card around, in between his fingers, as he leaned back at his desk on Monday. He had yet to contact her and was contemplating exactly what he wanted to say. His thoughts had him so far removed that he was unaware of the eyes of Tim and Ziva as they pondered what had him so distracted.

“I think it’s a woman.” Ziva leaned on McGee’s desk.

“Yeah? You think that’s her info on the card?”

“Probably, he’s been playing with it all morning.”

The two watched him for another moment until they saw Gibbs coming into the squad room. Quickly returning to their work, they watched as Gibbs walked up behind Tony, pausing only for a second before giving a firm slap to the back of the head.

Grunting at the impact, Tony shot up out of his chair, the card floating to the ground in front of his desk. “Sorry boss, I uh-”

Ziva had zipped around and snatched the card up before Tony realized he had dropped it. “Oooh, who’s Vivienne Montecrieff?” She waved the card just out of Tony’s reach.

“Hey, give me that!” Tony stood toe to toe with his fellow agent.

“Who is she and I’ll give it back?”

“I met her this weekend. Satisfied?”

“Almost. Are you going to call her?”

“Yes, but I can’t if you have the card.”

Ziva handed him the card with a smirk.

“Are you two done?” Gibbs gave them both a glare from his desk.

“Yeah, Boss, sorry.” Tony returned to his desk, tucking the card in his jacket.

After another day of mostly paperwork, the team was leaving at a relatively normal hour. Tony looked at the card again as he sat in his car. He decided he was going to stop by and check out this shop, Time After Time, which the card stated she was co-owner and accountant for.

Standing in front of the shop, he was impressed. It appeared to be a boutique kind of place, specializing in vintage clothing. Walking in, a bell chimed and pulled the attention of an employee who called from the back.

“Be right up!” Vivienne had been working on some inventory, since the afternoon had been a little slow. Smoothing her hair down and straightening her top, she walked to the front and deposited her binder on the desk. “Hi, how are you?” She hadn’t looked up yet, but her head snapped up when she heard his voice.

“I’m doing just fine.” Tony grinned as her eyes went wide. “How are you Vivi? Nice place!” He wandered slowly to the register.

“Uh-thanks.” She was still a little flustered. “I’m doing well, how are you?”

Tony chuckled. “Well, I ju-”

“You just answered that! I’m sorry.” She could feel her skin heating up as she blushed. “I, uh, can’t say that I was expecting to see you.” She laughed nervously.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, maybe this was a bad idea.” He rubbed the back of his neck and backed up towards the door.

“No, no! I mean, I’m glad to see you, just caught off guard.” She stepped around the desk to him. “Why don’t you take a look around. I’m going to put a few things away that I was working on in the back.”

Tony nodded and took in the shop. It was nice. A lot of vintage hats, ties, scarves, jackets, and so on. This was definitely a place he could find a few things in. He was holding up a hat that had caught his eye when Vivienne returned to the front.

“Oh, I bet that would look nice on you. Here, let me see.” She took it and reached up to place it on his head. “Yeah, it’s perfect.” She stepped to the side and directed him to a mirror across the room.

“Ah, yeah, it’s very Sinatra.” Tony grinned at her reflection as she nodded in agreement. Slipping it off, he took a quick peek at the price tag. “I think I’ll take it.”

“Really? Oh, okay.”

“Hey, so are you free on Saturday?” He waited while she finished their transaction.

“I am.” She smiled as he slowly turned the hat in his hands.

“What would you say to dinner?”

“You gonna wear the hat?” She had a teasing look in her eyes.

“I could be persuaded.”

“Then, yes to dinner. I’m finished here at 6 on Saturday.” She handed the hat to him.

“Alright.” He placed the hat on his head as he backed away from the counter. “I’ll see you on Saturday, sweetheart.”

Giggling at what she assumed was meant to be a Sinatra impersonation, she waved. “See you Saturday, Tony.”

Tony took the time to really plan their date out. He picked a nice restaurant and, depending on what Vivienne was in the mood for, had a couple of ideas for after dinner. They had spoken a couple of times on the phone to coordinate, and it was decided he would meet her at the shop since the restaurant was just down the street.

Vivienne was back by one of the dressing rooms touching up her hair and makeup as she waited for Tony to arrive. Moving back to the front, she finished putting a few things away when she heard his tap on the glass. Unlocking the door, she stepped aside so he could come in.

“Well, hello there, gorgeous.” He grinned as he pulled his hat off.

“Hiya, handsome.” God, he looked amazing. Catching a glimpse of themselves in the mirror off to the side, they were the picture of a couple straight out of a black and white film. “Give me a few to finish closing and we’ll go.”

Tony nodded and watched her move seamlessly around the front and look beautiful doing it. As soon as she was finished and had slipped her coat on, he held his arm out to her. “Shall we?”

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated quickly and ordered a couple glasses of wine while they decided on the rest of their meal.

“So, you’re the co-owner of the shop?” Tony asked after their orders were placed.

“Yeah, Naomi, the friend I was with last weekend, is the brains behind the operation. She pulled me on board about halfway through the planning.”

Tony nodded. “It’s an interesting place. You don’t find many like it aside from antique stores where everything is overpriced and musty.”

Vivienne laughed. “That is very true and part of why she opened the place! It just so happened that we went to college for business together and have a lot of the same taste. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun too.”

“How long have you guys been there?”

“Uh, our tenth anniversary is coming up in about a month.”

“Oh wow! Congratulations!”

“Thanks.” She blushed a little from the compliment and the wine she was consuming. “So what about you? NCIS? What’s that like?”

“Ah well, solving crimes, just specifically for the Navy, and I occasionally get to travel.”

“Do you mostly work with murder cases or do you guys do the white collar stuff too?”

“Mostly murder cases. Other stuff comes up sometimes too, but it usually starts out with a body.”

The conversation flowed smoothly through dinner, and they were laughing and enjoying one another a little more than they’d anticipated. When dinner was over and the bill paid, by Tony at his insistence, they stepped out into the cold January night air discussing where they wanted to head next.

“Well, how about we go back to the club and dance? A movie is nice, but we were just sitting for an hour and a half. I want to move.” Vivienne grabbed Tony’s hand and spun herself.

“Alright, let’s go then.” He spun her around before tucking her hand in his elbow as they walked towards the club.

As they entered, the strains of the live band there that night spilled out onto the street. They quickly deposited their coats at a table before moving out to the dance floor. Now that they’d had a chance to really get comfortable, they moved fluidly across the floor, switching effortlessly from quick paced numbers to soft slow dances.

“Oh boy-my feet are going to feel this tomorrow!” Vivienne sat at the table with a glass of water and rolled her ankles a little. The band was winding down and the pair sat catching their breath before deciding to call it a night.

They reached the parking lot next to the boutique and headed for Vivienne’s car. “I had a lot of fun tonight, Tony.”

“Me too.” He smiled.

“So, we’ll do this again sometime?” Vivienne looked down at her hands before shyly looking back up at him, biting her bottom lip.

“Absolutely.” Tony stepped closer to her and tilted her chin up with his finger. He waited a beat before pecking a chaste kiss to her lips.

Vivienne gave a quietly flustered laugh that made it sound as if her breath had been taken. “Good, I uh-will talk to you soon then.”

Tony opened her car door for her and smiled down as she slid inside. “Definitely. Good night, Vivi, drive safe.”

She gave a small wave as he closed her door and slowly pulled away.

Placing the hat he’d purchased earlier that week back on his head, he slowly walked back to his own car, humming the tune of a Sinatra song.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the reason this series has a mature rating: shower sex, unprotected

It was a hot topic in the squad room; who you were bringing to the event Saturday night. The NCIS team had been invited to some fancy dinner/gala type event at the end of March and it was getting a lot of hype. They didn’t go to such events very often, so it was nice to have something to look forward to; assuming a case didn’t crop up and get in the way.

Tony knew exactly who he was taking, but he hadn’t really talked about it much to the team. His relationship with Vivienne was still relatively new; they’d been seeing each other regularly for about two months. He wasn’t intentionally keeping it from them, he was crazy about Vivienne! But, his past with other women wasn’t something he was necessarily proud of, and he wanted to be sure about this before making it public knowledge.

“Earth to Tony.” McGee’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Do you have a date for Saturday?”

Tony nodded with a grin. “Oh McGoo, I do!”

Tim rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer. “What, did you just meet her this morning?”

Tony just laughed and ignored the comment.

“No, I don’t think he just met her McGee. He’s been acting strange and secretive for a while,” Ziva noted.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. The secret phone calls, long lunches…”

The conversation was ended abruptly when Gibbs walked in to refocus them on their tasks for that day.

Late Friday evening, Tony gave Vivienne a call to make sure she was still up for coming to the event and meeting the team all in one go. “You can back out if you want to.”

“Tony, I’m not going to back out!” Vivienne laughed, he’d told her the same thing every time the subject of this event was brought up. “I’ve already met Ducky and would love to meet everyone else! You talk about them a lot and I want to put faces to names.”

He gave a quiet chuckle. “Okay, well, I’ll come and pick you up at around 7:30?”

“Perfect!” She could hear a hint of nerves lingering in his voice. “Hey, relax! It’ll be great! I’ve got to get a shower, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah okay, night, Vivi.”

“Night, Tony.”

Hanging up the phone, he leaned back on the couch and smiled. He hoped she was right and his team liked her as much as he did.

The next evening, he picked Vivienne up promptly at 7:30. On the way there, he walked her though who was who on the team.

When they approached the door, Vivienne paused as she searched her clutch. “Oh crap, my lipstick fell out of my bag. Can I have the keys to run and grab it?”

Tony nodded. “I’ll meet you inside.” He smiled as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Hands in his pockets, he glanced around to see who was there. Director Vance caught his attention, and he was idly chatting with him off to the side when Vivienne returned.

Peering around, she had just spotted him, when she heard a voice behind her.

“Good evening, my dear. You look lovely this evening.”

“Doctor Mallard! Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.” She gave him a quick hug and a wink before glancing back over her shoulder trying to catch Tony’s eye.

“Ducky!” A woman with dark hair bounced over and pulled the doctor into a hug.

“Hello Abigail, Timothy.” He gave a nod to the man standing with her.

“Who’s your friend?” Abby smiled at Vivienne. “Oh hey, Tony!” She grinned over Vivienne’s shoulder, who felt Tony’s hands on her waist as he came up behind her.

“Hi Abbs, this is Vivienne. Vivi, this is Abby and, oh I see you and McGoo decided to come together.”

“Tony-why does it-”

Abby cut him off as she stepped closer to greet Vivienne. “You can ignore them, they argue like that all the time. His name is actually Tim McGee. We both had dates that cancelled on us.” Abby gave her a sad smile.

“Oh, that stinks! Well, it’s nice to meet you! At least you could come together!”

“Definitely! So how long have you known Tony?”

“We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months.”

“Really?! Tony! Why haven’t we met her until now?!”

Tony held his hands up. “We really haven’t had anything where we’ve all been together.”

“Not a good excuse!” Abby took a liking to Vivienne immediately and chatted her ear off while they waited for the remainder of their party to arrive.

After being introduced to Gibbs, Ziva, and Jimmy Palmer, Tony slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked into the main ballroom. “You okay?”

“I’m great! They’re fabulous, Tony! I don’t know what you were worried about!”

He laughed. “Good.”

The dinner itself was very nice. The group was able to sit and chat casually about things other than work and grill Vivienne for some details about herself, of course. They all stood out to her for different reasons.

Abby, who had stolen her heart from the beginning, was very sweet and had the most questions. She wanted to know any and everything she could think of. Vivienne really liked her and wished, with the hope of things lasting with Tony, that they would get a chance to become close friends.

Tim, or McGee, as he seemed to be referred to the most, was a very sweet guy. He didn’t have as many questions, but he was just as interested in her responses to Abby. What struck her about him was the brotherly bickering that would transpire between him and Tony. It would start from the smallest things and, in truth, it was hilariously entertaining. McGee was certainly a good friend to Tony, that much was clear, despite the teasing.

Ducky, she had met the night she met Tony. He was a very sweet and charming man. He continued to be a welcoming presence for Vivienne as the conversation flowed.

Palmer, who turned out to be Ducky’s assistant, was a little quieter but was very kind. He put his two cents in here and there.

Ziva was also quieter, but on a more intense level. She was going to be tough to get to know, but she did seem to be genuinely interested, asking questions when she could get a word in.

Then there was Gibbs. He was probably the quietest of the whole crew. He sat and listened, smiling, quietly laughing, or nodding when appropriate. He didn’t ask any questions, but he was clearly invested in what was being said. There was also something very familiar about him, but Vivi couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

After dinner, there were people heading out to the dance floor. Over the last couple of months, Tony and Vivienne had established dancing as one of their favorite things to do together outside of watching old movies and other physical pursuits. They had grown into a seamless rhythm since they met and, there were some eyes glued to them as they moved.

Following a few dances with Ducky and a cut in from Abby, their eyes were quickly drawn to Gibbs who had Director Vance in his ear. He was the only one Vivienne had not met that night.

Tony had his arm around Vivienne’s waist. “This can’t be good.”

“What’s going on?” Vivienne asked.

“Well, it could be nothing or it could be something,” Ziva sighed as they all exchanged glances, waiting for Gibbs to give them any sign.

He stood from the table as Vance walked away and signaled to the door.

“It’s something,” McGee put in as they followed his lead.

Once in the lobby, Gibbs let them know of the recent development in an ongoing case that needed their immediate attention. They needed to get back to NCIS as soon as possible.

When they climbed into the car, Tony exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. In two months, he hadn’t had his time with Vivienne interrupted once, but that streak had to end sometime. “Hey, I’m sorry about this. We can’t always plan when this happens.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” Vivienne placed her hand in his as he began to pull onto the street. “It’s your job! I don’t expect you to be able to schedule things out like I do. Doesn’t mean I like it, but I get it.” She gave his hand a squeeze and a quick kiss to his knuckles.

Glancing down he noticed a red lipstick smudge. “I’ll never wash that hand again.”

“You’re an idiot! Light’s green.” She laughed at the silly grin he had plastered to his face.

Tony still walked her to her door, ending their evening with an impassioned kiss; disappointed that the night had to end here.

“Call me when everything is settled?”

“Definitely.” He held her hips firmly. “I want to pick up where we left off.”

Vivienne laughed as she opened the door and stepped backwards. “You got a little something.”

Tony had red lipstick smudges covering his lips, and he just grinned at her instead of wiping his mouth. “Oh, I bet I do.”

Rolling her eyes with a laugh, she slowly started closing her door. “Goodnight, Tony.”

Walking back out to his car, he checked his phone to find a message from McGee wondering what was taking so long. Shaking his head, he made his way back to NCIS for what was going to be a very long few days, no doubt.

The weeks following the gala had been quite a smack over the head with the realization of how important his job was. When a case was going on, it was early mornings and late nights no matter what their plans had been. Tony would call once or twice to check in and she sent the occasional text, but, until a case was over, there just wasn’t much either could do.

Vivienne was very quickly falling for Tony, so she toughed it out, especially since his new habit had been to come to her apartment after work instead of his own. He would always call her first, but it got to a point mid-May that she just made him a key.

“Viv?” Tony called out one evening as he let himself in. “It’s me!” He tossed his keys and phone on the entry table as he locked the door behind him. She still had not responded, so he headed back to the bedroom.

“Tony?” Vivienne called from the shower as she heard her bedroom door open.

“Yeah, hey.” He stripped down to his boxer shorts and plucked his toothbrush from the holder on the sink.

“How was work?” Vivienne asked as she wet down her hair.

“It was alright,” came his muffled reply as he scrubbed his teeth.

Vivienne thoughtfully washed her hair as she listened to him shuffling around the bathroom. “Tony?”

“Yeah?” He pulled the toothbrush from his mouth.

“I just got in if you want to join me.” Dead silence followed and she shrugged as she rinsed the last of the shampoo out of her hair. As she was reaching for her body wash, the curtain parted.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Tony grinned as he stepped in behind her. “You want some help with that?”

“Sure, handsome.” She smiled as she handed him the loofah.

He started at her back, one hand scrubbing and the other following behind to touch every inch he possibly could. That was the one thing that really had been a downer in their new relationship. His work schedule had him so busy lately, that it had probably been a solid two weeks since they’d actually had sex. Sleeping next to her was nice, but he needed her much more than that.

Turning to face him, Vivienne placed her hands on either side of his face bringing his lips to hers. She melted into the feeling of his warm hands on her skin and gave a quiet moan as she felt his growing erection against her hip.

Dropping the loofah to the floor of the shower, he began to run his hands over her body, rinsing the soap away. Gripping and squeezing her flesh as he went, her hands tugging his hair as her kisses moved to his neck.

“God I missed you,” she sighed as she nipped at his ear.

Tony groaned as he lifted her arms from his shoulders. “You have no idea.” He held her arms above her head as he backed her against the cool tiles. Capturing her lips with his, he slowly moved his free hand down her side before sliding it between her legs.

He ran his fingers gently along her entrance, using her arousal to glide his finger teasingly around her clit. His lips trailed over a spot at the crook of her neck that had her arching into him as he slowly moved closer to her clit.

“You’re such a fucking tease, DiNozzo!” She had been thinking about him non-stop lately and just wanted him to touch and fill every part of her.

Tony chuckled against her neck, giving her a light nip as he finally circled directly over her clit.

Vivienne brought her arms down and placed her hands on his chest, nails digging in as he continued moving his fingers. Adjusting her footing slightly, she slipped one of her hands down to his throbbing cock, slowly pumping him.

A grunt fell from his lips as her hand wrapped around him. Dipping his fingers down, he inserted one, then two into her heat. “You ready?” His breath was hot at her ear.

“Yeah.” She moved her hand away and braced herself against his shoulders as he lifted her slightly.

Bending his knees as he held her against the tiles, he slowly slid inside, pausing to adjust his balance and hold on her body. Feeling confident that he wasn’t going to fall or drop Vivi, he began to slowly rock his hips up into her. Pressing his torso flush with hers, he kept a steady pace and created some much needed friction for her.

The sound of their wet skin and soft moans echoed off the tiled walls. Tony’s pace was increasing and he wouldn’t be long, but Vivienne needed just a little more sensation to follow him. Gripping his shoulder she grunted out. “Shower head, give me the…”

Pausing, he pulled it from the cradle, and let her adjust the water pressure.

“Okay.” She held onto his shoulders tightly as he began to move again while she directed the stream of water to her clit. The increased pressure was exactly what she needed. “Fuck, Tony just…there…yes.” She groaned as the first tremors of her orgasm began to roll through her body.

Holding onto her wet skin as tightly as he could, he began to rock harder into her. The throbbing of her pussy pulling him along. When her orgasm began to pulse through her body and her nails dug into his shoulders, Tony let go. He buried his face in her neck as he grunted out his release.

Vivienne slowly moved her hands down his chest as he slipped out and gently set her feet onto the floor. “Wow.” She exhaled moving the wet hair from her face.

Tony laughed as he caught his own breath and tilted his head back under the shower head after he placed it back in its cradle. “Oh, that’s cold!” He reached down to adjust the water.

“Mmm, but totally worth it after that.” Vivienne grinned as she picked up the loofah and motioned for him to turn around. “We should do this more often,” she commented as she soaped up his back.

“You washing my back? Definitely.” Tony had a smirk on his lips.

“No, you smart ass!” Vivienne gave his ass a playful slap. “You know damn well what I meant!” She couldn’t keep the laughter from her voice.

“Aaah, so you want me to spank you next time?”

“Tony!”

He turned around to face her, a shit eating grin on his face. “Okay, okay.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “I know what you meant, but if you’re into spanking…”

Vivienne cut him off with a kiss. “Stop while you’re ahead, babe.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for family meetings!

Since beginning their relationship six months previously, Vivienne had become like a member of the NCIS family. She would see them from time to time socially and was asked after by Abby and Ducky, in particular. However, she had yet to meet Tony’s father, and all she’d gotten from him was that their relationship was complicated.

She could tell that it was a touchy subject and left it alone. But, in the meantime, she coordinated a time for him to meet her grandparents.

Vivienne’s own story was a little complicated to anyone who didn’t know the whole story. She was raised by her mother’s parents from infancy and even had their last name. Edward and Judith Montecrieff were her legal guardians following her mother’s passing just before her first birthday. Her father was never in the picture, and she didn’t even know who he was.

When she was in high school, there was a period of time that she was determined to find out who this mystery man was that left her and her mother behind. It was a period of anger at the man who could have been there by her mother’s side as she battled cancer. But, when her grandmother finally sat her down and explained that her mother had never even told them who he was, she let it go. There was a part of her that still wanted a name and a face, but it wasn’t worth putting her grandparents through that kind of pain.

She was grateful that she still had them around after all this time, and she really hoped that they would love Tony as much as she did.

“Wait a minute.” Tony held his hand up as they turned onto her grandparents’ street. “I know this street.”

“You do?” Vivi raised her brows at his sudden realization. “How do you know this street?”

“I don’t, oh…” His face morphed into shock as it dawned on him. “Oh no!”

“What?” Vivienne was growing impatient as he slowed the car down.

“Your grandparents live on the same street as Gibbs!”

“What? Which house is his?”

“Uh, that one.” Tony pointed just to their right.

“Huh, so they do! Actually, they live right next door.”

Tony groaned as he pulled up in front of Vivi’s grandparents’ house. “Did you know that he was their neighbor?”

“Uh, no, and don’t give me that look!” She pointed at him. “My grandparents moved in here a year ago from Georgetown. I hate to admit that I haven’t been coming over as much as I’d like to. Plus, is Gibbs ever home?” She glanced over her shoulder, noting that there was no vehicle in front of the house.

“Okay, fair enough.” Tony shut the engine off and took a deep breath.

“You okay?” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Don’t worry, they’ll love you.”

Tony took another deep breath as they got out of the car and walked up to the door. Vivi opened the door and called out to let her grandparents know they’d arrived.

“In the kitchen!” came her grandmother’s voice.

“Come on.” Vivi reached back and gave Tony’s hand a tug as they walked back towards the kitchen. “Hi, Gran.”

“Hi honey, how are you?” She pulled Vivi into a tight hug.

“Good, good. Gran, this is Tony.” She stepped to the side, her grandmother’s arm still around her waist. “Tony, this is my Gran, Judy.”

“Oh, we’ve heard so much about you!” Judy brushed aside the hand he held out and pulled him into a hug.

“Ah, really? I hope all good things?”

Judy backed up and gave Tony a wink. “Don’t you worry, all good.”

“Where’s Grandad?”

“Where he normally is.” Judy gave her granddaughter a shrug as she turned back to the stove.

“Ah.” Vivi smiled as she turned to leave the kitchen. “He’s in the den.” She reached back and took Tony’s hand, the sound of a television meeting their ears. “Grandad?’

“Yeah?” He glanced over his shoulder as he heard his granddaughter’s voice. “Oh, Vivi! Where’ve you been, stranger?” He stood from his chair to give her a hug.

“Oh, I’ve been busy with the shop.” She stepped to his side. “Grandad, this is Tony. Tony, this is my grandad, Ed.”

“So, this is him, huh?” He was shorter than Tony, but looked down over the rim of his glasses as he gave his hand a firm shake.

“Mmhmm.” She leaned into his shoulder and whispered. “Be nice.”

Tony gave her a vaguely frightened look when she stepped towards the hallway. “I’m going to help Gran get dinner on the table. You’ll be fine.” She whispered the last bit before giving Tony a peck on the cheek and walking out.

“So, you’re a cop right?” Ed sat back down in his chair. “Take a seat.” He gestured to a chair next to his.

“Thanks, uh yeah, kind of. I work for NCIS.”

“Navy right?” Ed confirmed with a nod from Tony. “So, you must know our neighbor then? Jethro?”

“Uh, yeah I do. I know him very well actually.”

“Good guy. One of the first people we met when we moved in here last year. Fellow Marine too.”

“Yeah, he is. One of the better bosses I’ve had in my career.” Tony shifted in his seat. “You were a Marine, sir?”

“I was. Retired Lieutenant Colonel, and you don’t need to call me sir.” Ed chuckled. “He’s your boss, huh? What did you do before NCIS?”

“I was a cop and then a detective in Baltimore.”

The pair continued to chat while Vivi helped Judy in the kitchen. “So, he’s quite handsome.”

“That he is.” Vivi blushed at her Gran’s giggle over how good looking Tony was.

“He also seems very nice. Guess we’ll see what Grandad says.”

“Gran.” Vivi leaned her back against the counter. “He’s amazing! I mean his job keeps him crazy busy sometimes, but he’s so passionate about it.”

Judy turned and looked carefully at Vivi. “You’re in love with him. Have you told him that?”

Vivi crossed her arms and looked down at her shoes. “Not yet. I want to, I just don’t want to freak him out. We’re in a really good place right now.” The words had almost crossed her lips a few times, but something held her back.

“You’ll know when the time is right.” Judy placed a comforting hand on Vivi’s arm.

“Yeah, yeah I will.” She smiled and pushed herself off the counter. “Alright, we ready for them? I’m sure they’ll starve to death if it’s not.”

“Yep, go get ‘em.” Judy laughed as she put the last dish on the kitchen table.

“They loved you!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Vivi laughed as they drove back to her apartment. “Grandad talked your ear off and, well, Gran told me that she liked you before we left.”

“Can you believe they’ve actually met and are friendly with Gibbs?” Tony chuckled.

“Well, I mean Gibbs is a nice guy.”

“You say that only because he hasn’t slapped the back of your head.”

“I haven’t given him a reason to.” Vivi giggled and kissed Tony’s cheek after he parked the car.

“Very funny.” He grabbed her chin and gave her a peck on the lips before she could pull away.

The thing about Anthony DiNozzo Senior is that he never seemed to be able to call before showing up in Washington. He would inevitably make his way to NCIS to see Tony and be underfoot for a few days much to Tony’s frustration.

So when his father showed up on a Friday morning in late July, he slipped away as quickly as he could to give Vivienne the heads up.

“Tony, I would love to meet your dad!”

“Really? I mean, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why?” Vivi hadn’t pushed him much about his relationship with his dad. She knew that he’d been sent to a boarding school not long after his mom passed and that his dad was rarely around. She also knew that there was a revolving door of stepmothers that caused a hefty rift as well. “Tony, babe, I know things aren’t great and you’re not really ready to share ALL of the details with me, but, if he’s here, what are you going to do? Ignore me until he decides to leave?”

“No! That’s stupid. I wouldn’t do that to you!” He sighed as he saw his dad heading in his direction. “Okay fine, meet for dinner at 7, that little Italian place?”

“Perfect. I’ll see you at 7.”

“Junior? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah Dad, everything is fine. We’re going for dinner at 7. I want you to meet someone.” Tony guided his dad towards the elevator. “I’ve got some work to finish here, but I’ll pick you up around 6:30 in front of your hotel.”

“Ok. I’m meeting Vivienne, then?” His dad flashed him a smile as he stepped onto the elevator.

“Huh? How did you?” He sighed and turned to see Abby lingering by McGee’s desk. “Yes, you’re meeting Vivienne.”

“Looking forward to it, son. See you at 6:30.”

Tony gave a weak smile as the elevator doors closed before returning to work.

Vivienne had just climbed out of her car when she saw Tony pull in with his father. She gave him a quick wave and waited for them on the sidewalk.

“Hey there, gorgeous.” Tony was a step ahead of his dad and pecked a quick kiss to her lips. Snaking an arm around her waist, he pulled her into his side. “Vivi, this is my dad, Anthony DiNozzo Sr. Dad, this is Vivienne.”

“Hello.” He took VIvi’s extended hand and placed a kiss over her knuckles. “Tony didn’t mention how beautiful you were.”

“Uh, thank you.” Vivienne was trying really hard not to giggle and Tony gave her waist a light pinch. “Are you boys hungry?”

As they followed the hostess to a table, Tony leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Don’t encourage him. He’s going to try and charm the hell out of you.”

“Ah, don’t worry so much. Let him try to impress me and you can tell me what was all bullshit later.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking the chair that his father had pulled out for her.

The dinner went much smoother than Tony had expected. He was surprised that some of the stories he shared with Vivi weren’t as outlandish as they usually were. A fair amount were about himself, much to his embarrassment. At the end of it all, he was actually glad that he relented and they had met, but there was also a part of him that felt unsettled.

“Dad, I’m going to walk Vivi to her car. Just wait here.”

“I’m glad I got to meet him. Call me later and set the record straight on the false stories?” Vivi grinned up at him, her hands resting on his chest.

“Actually, a lot of what he told you was true.” Tony laughed and gazed down at his shoes.

“Well, I’ll let you get him back to the hotel.” She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss.

“Alright, I’ll be over later.” He shut her door and, with a wave, headed back to his dad.

“Junior, I think you’ve got a winner there.” He clapped Tony on the back as they headed for the car.

“Yeah, me too Dad. Me too.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little trouble in paradise.

Tony’s schedule was still taking some getting used to for Vivienne. Being an NCIS agent had Tony on call 24/7, vacations weren’t a guarantee, and there was always something coming up.

On the outside, it appeared that they were making it work. They always seemed to find a way to have dinner, go to a movie, or even at least spend the night together.

But, there was something missing. It took some time for Vivienne to put her finger on it, but once she did, it grew harder to ignore every day, especially on those nights that Tony came over late after work and crawled into bed beside her.

She loved him and had said it a handful of times, but the sentiment had never been truly returned. At this point, she needed to know where he stood.

“Tony?” Vivienne began as they entered her apartment. “We need to talk about something.”

“Oh, uh, what about?” His stomach clenched at her words. They’d just been out on, what he assumed, was a nice date.

“Uh, let’s sit.” She headed for the sofa and curled her legs underneath her after she slipped off her heels.

“Is everything okay?” Tony perched on the edge of the cushion next to her.

“I want to say yes, but I really don’t know. We’ve been dating now for just over a year.”

“Yeah, we went out to the club where we met last week. Viv, where is this going?”

“Tony, I need to know what you want out of this relationship?” She just let the words go, there was no sense in mincing them now. “And, I’m not talking about our dates or the sex. Where is this going?”

“Where does it need to go?”

Vivi pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt the tears forming. “Tony, I love you. I’ve told you that on more than one occasion and not once have you said it back.” Her hands fell to her lap as she looked up at him. “Saying ‘love ya’ after sex, well that doesn’t really count. I want more than just being someone for you to hang out with. I need to know if you want more than that too, and I need to know that you love me.”

“Viv, I do.” That unsettled feeling that had been slipping in every now and then was back. “I don’t understa-”

“Okay, but that right there!” She pointed at him, the tears beginning to fall. “You didn’t even say ‘I love you’ just now. Only that you do. You do what?! I don’t understand why you can’t say it and mean it if that’s how you feel.”

Tony didn’t know how to respond. He really did love Vivienne, and he couldn’t imagine her not in his life, but, the silence was deafening as he stared down at his hands struggling to put his thoughts together.

“You need to go.” Vivi’s voice was quiet after a very painful fifteen minutes.

“What?” He sat there dumbfounded as he watched her stand and cross her arms over her body.

“Tony, I need you to figure out what you want. I know I want more than this. I want a life with you, marriage, kids, the whole nine! But, you need to decide if you feel and want the same.”

He stood slowly and stood in front of her. He looked down at her crossed arms and placed his hands at her elbows and leaned down to kiss her.

“Stop. Please.” The tears were falling faster and she closed her eyes, heartbroken that he had little to no response.

Without a word, Tony stepped away and left her apartment. After closing the door, he heard her heart wrenching sobs, and he felt like he was going to be sick. Trying to keep his own tears at bay, he headed for his own apartment, kicking himself for not being able to tell her exactly how he felt and what he wanted.

That night, Vivi couldn’t stand to be in her own bed without Tony next to her. Checking the time, which was just after 10, she took a chance that her grandparents were still awake and called.

“Gran?” She tried to keep her voice steady when Judy answered.

“Vivi? What’s wrong?”

“Can I come by and stay the night?” The tears were falling again and her voice shaking.

“Of course, honey. Are you okay?”

“Uh, not really. I’ll tell you when I get there?”

“Okay, we’ll see you in a little while.”

Vivi packed her weekend bag and grabbed a hoodie from the dryer to throw over her pajamas. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks when she realized the sweatshirt belonged to Tony. Wiping her tears away with the sleeve, she grabbed her bag and headed to her car. The twenty minute drive to her grandparents felt much longer as she struggled to keep herself together.

Judy had been watching for Vivi’s car and, when she finally pulled up, was at the open door waiting for her. As soon as she saw her red, swollen, and tear stained cheeks she knew something was very wrong. She didn’t say anything, just pulled her inside and held her close. Leading her to the sofa, she guided them down to the cushions and rocked her granddaughter gently as Vivi sobbed into her nightshirt.

Ed had been in the kitchen when he heard the sobs and stepped out, eyebrows raised in question. Judy waved him off to bed; she could fill him in later.

VIvi’s head was pounding when she pulled back from Judy.

“Is it Tony?” When Vivi nodded, she gave a sigh, her heart breaking. “Let’s make some tea and you can tell me?”

Vivi nodded and followed her to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass of water, she grabbed some aspirin from the cabinet by the sink before plopping down at the kitchen table. She finished off the glass of water before going over what had happened that night. When she finished, she rested her head in her hands, the steam from her mug of tea curling up around her face.

“Honey, I really wish I could tell you it would all be okay.” Judy reached up and rubbed the back of her hand. “What I can tell you is that I think he will figure it out. Grandad and I have watched you the last year, and he’s crazy about you, but men don’t always know exactly how to say it.”

Vivi nodded and let her hands fall to the table. “I think I just need some sleep and time to think.” She gave her grandmother a weak smile.

“That sounds like a good idea.” She stood and gave Vivi a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Vivienne barely slept and, when the sun began to rise, she decided to get up and make some coffee. She knew that her grandparents would be up in about an hour and figured she could get the morning rolling. With the coffee brewing, she slipped on a pair of slippers by the front door and walked out to grab the newspaper. It was a brisk January morning, but the cool air felt nice against her tear swollen eyes.

Next door, Gibbs was heading to his truck when he noticed Vivienne slowly walking out of her grandparents house. He thought it was unusual for her to be here this early on a weekday, and that’s when he noticed she’d been crying. Something wasn’t right, and he made a mental note to keep an eye on Tony today.

Walking into the squad room, Gibbs knew he wouldn’t have to watch Tony too carefully. His unrest permeated the room, and he was currently in a heated argument with McGee. Before he could reach his desk to stop it, Tony was storming out of the squad room.

“What the hell is his problem this morning?” McGee looked over at Ziva who only shrugged, just as shocked as McGee was at Tony’s outburst.

“Problem, McGee?” Gibbs sat down at his desk.

“Not anymore, Boss.” McGee quickly turned back to his computer.

“You sure about that?”

McGee sighed. “I don’t know. I asked Tony a question about some paperwork from yesterday and he just lost it!”

Gibbs looked over at Ziva who nodded in agreement. Grabbing his coffee, he stood prepared to hunt Tony down and figure out what was going on with him. His cell phone ringing stopped him in his tracks and ,when he answered, there was a new case that took priority.

It was Friday evening before Gibbs finally had the chance to get back to Tony. The young agent’s mood had been foul for the duration of the investigation, and Gibbs had had enough.

“DiNozzo! Come with me! Now!” He barked as Tony just stared at him. After they boarded the elevator, Gibbs hit the emergency stop and turned to face the agent.

“Boss, what is this about?”

“It’s about you and your attitude this week!” Gibbs had an idea what it was about, but he knew better than to involve himself without Tony coming to him. “DiNozzo, whatever the hell is going on with you is affecting your judgement.”

“My judgement has been just fine.” Tony scoffed.

“You think so? Let’s talk about how you jumped a high ranking officer’s ass with zero provocation? Or going in after a suspect with no backup?! I should suspend you!”

Tony didn’t respond and stared down at the floor as Gibbs continued.

“Go home DiNozzo, take a break, and, if you feel like working out whatever is bothering you,” Gibbs heaved a sigh and restarted the elevator, “you know where to find me.” As the doors opened, Gibbs stalked off and left Tony to consider his words.

Tony did eventually go home and sulked around his apartment for a while before deciding to take Gibbs’ offer. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what Gibbs had to say, despite having been married four times.

When he heard his front door open and the footfalls headed for the basement stairs, Gibbs shook his head. “About damn time you showed up, DiNozzo.”

“Well, hello to you too, Boss.”

Neither one spoke for several minutes as Gibbs continued to work on his boat, and Tony just watched, not really sure where he should start.

“You want a drink?” Gibbs offered as he stepped away from his project to sip at his own cup of bourbon.

“Sure.”

“Looks like you could use it.” Gibbs found a relatively clean cup and quickly wiped out some stray sawdust.

“I really screwed up Gibbs,” he said slowly sipping from his cup.

GIbbs didn’t respond, just leaned against the workbench and gave Tony his full attention.

“Vivi, she wanted to know where this, where we, were going. I couldn’t answer her. She’s told me that she loves me and I’ve never said it back.”

Gibbs tried to suppress a small smile, having been in this position before.

Tony continued, not noticing Gibbs’ reaction. “The thing is, I do love her! I really do! I want things with her that I’ve never wanted with anyone else, things I never thought about until I met her! Getting married, kids, all of it! But, I couldn’t say it.”

“Fear, plain and simple. I’ve been there, more than once. You’re afraid at how it’s going to change you and what you might lose.”

“Ha, yeah.” Tony brushed away the stray tear that fell. “I guess so. I’ve never had or felt anything like this.”

“Oh yeah, there is nothing like it, that’s for sure. But, here’s what you need to realize Tony.” Gibbs pushed off the bench and stepped closer to Tony. “What will you gain? If you love her that much, there is a whole hell of a lot more good that will come with this despite any pain. Tony, I had that and I lost it with no chance of getting it back. Don’t throw this away out of fear. If you want a life with her and children, then you go after it and you hold on damn tight!”

Tony nodded. He knew Gibbs was referring to his first wife Shannon. They’d only found out about that part of Gibbs’ life a few years back, and he could only imagine the pain.

Gibbs brought his hand up and gave Tony a quick and firm slap to the back of his head. “DiNozzo! Snap out of it! You know what you need to do.”

“Thanks, Boss.” Tony rubbed at his head and stood there for a moment too long.

“Why are you still here? Go!”

“Going, Boss, thanks.” Tony turned and dashed up the stairs.

It had been about a week since they’d spoken.

Sitting in her sweats with a glass of wine and tissues wasn’t exactly how Vivienne had planned to spend her evening. But, she had given Tony an ultimatum; either he decide what he wants out of the relationship or he needs to let her go. 

She loved him more than words could express and, so far, he still hadn’t returned the sentiment. Sure, he did plenty of things that demonstrated that he cared for her, but, anytime the idea of more came up, he changed the subject.

She made it clear that she wanted a life with him. Vivienne knew that those things scared him, and they scared her too. But she wanted those things and held out hope that he really loved her enough to at least consider a life with her.

Settled on the couch, Vivienne was halfway through her favorite movie, Roman Holiday, when she remembered one of their first months of dating. They had been to see this movie after she’d told Tony how much she loved it. He’d kept an eye on theaters he knew showed classics and made sure that he could get her there, despite his work schedule. The memory brought tears to her eyes; those were the kind of things that told her how he felt. But, she wanted to hear it and had told him so.

The wine and crying caused Vivienne to eventually doze off after switching over to listen to some Sinatra and Dean Martin. A soft knock at her door roused her. Heart in her throat, she went and peered through the peephole; Tony.

“Vivi…” he pleaded. “Please let me in. I need to talk to you.”

With a shuddering sigh, she slowly opened the door, revealing Tony clad in jeans and an Ohio State hoodie. She also noticed that his eyes appeared to be red and puffy, “Hi,” she spoke softly, stepping aside, allowing him to enter.

“Um…” He shifted from foot to foot as he watched her walk back to the couch and curl her legs underneath her.

“Tony, you can sit.” She motioned to the space beside her.

“Yeah, yeah…um.” He ran a hand over his face before returning it to the pocket of his sweatshirt. 

She could see that he was trying to piece his thoughts together, and, knowing how she felt, she gave him the time. Her ears picked up the strains of a Dean Martin song that she hoped wouldn’t end up as some sick ironic joke from the cosmos.

I’m confessin’ that I love you tell me do you love me too

I’m confessin’ that I need you honest I do

Need you every moment in your eyes I read such strange things

But your lips deny they’re true

Will your answer really change things making me blue

“I…I know that I haven’t been as open with you about what I feel and I know I should.” He paused and took a deep breath. “But, I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

Vivienne shifted so she was facing Tony, giving him her full attention. Honestly, she was scared about what he had decided. She didn’t know if she could handle losing him.

“Babe.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and reached out for hers. “I love you, I really do! And I’m sorry I haven’t said it before. I know saying that I’m scared of marriage and kids isn’t a good excuse for not saying how I feel. But, I am scared…” He trailed off and watched as tears streamed down Vivienne’s face.

I’m afraid someday you’ll leave me saying can’t we still be friends

If you go you know you’ll grieve me all in life on you depends

Am I guessin’ that you love me dreamin’ dreams of you in vain

I’m confessin’ that I love you over again

Reaching forward, he brushed the tears away with his thumb. “But, I’m not scared of marrying you or having kids with you. I do eventually want those things with you! What I’m scared of is losing you. With my job, I’ve seen a lot of horrible things, and I know I’m at work more than home. It’s hard for me not to imagine things happening to you or my hours pushing you away and then you’re gone for good.” As tears began falling from his own eyes, Tony paused, allowing what he had said to sink in.

Grabbing a handful of tissues for both of them, Vivienne went to speak. “Tony,” her voice cracked, “I love you too and you’ve always shown me you cared, but I just couldn’t be sure. There are things we can’t control, sure, but in this last year you and your job have done nothing to push me away!”

“I am sure, I really am.” He pulled her into his lap and as close to his chest as he could.

She rested her head on his shoulder and he pressed light kisses to her cheeks and temple. Pulling back she gently caressed his cheek. “I’m glad you’re sure, I love you.” She kissed him deeply, holding as tightly to him as she could.

(I’m afraid someday you’ll leave me saying can’t we still be friends)

If you go you know you’ll grieve me all in life on you depends

Am I guessin’ that you love me dreamin’ dreams of you in vain

I’m confessin’ that I love you over again

Vivienne felt that he was sincere, but she also knew that when it came down to their future, it may still make Tony anxious. She could handle that as long as, at the end of the day, he still loved her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oral female receiving, light teasing (at the end)

“Do you seriously need to bring all of this?” Tony fretted as he saw the number of boxes in the foyer of Vivi’s apartment.

“Babe, we talked about this. I went through and got rid of a lot of my stuff since you had most of it already and we didn’t want doubles! Literally the ONLY thing I am truly replacing is your sad excuse of a bedroom set!”

“What was wrong with my bedroom?!”

“Tony! You slept on a TWIN bed!!! What? Was I supposed to camp out on the couch?”

“Well, no!” He threw up his hands, frustrated he didn’t have a good argument.

“Okay, well this will all go somewhere. This is going to be hard I know, but, I mean, we’ve been staying mostly in my apartment together for the last eight months. It doesn’t really make sense to pay double rent if we don’t have to, and your apartment is bigger and cheaper.”

“I know, it’s just weird! I’ve never lived with a girl.”

Vivienne raised her eyebrow at him and smirked. “I haven’t lived with a boy either! Just spending the night hasn’t been all that insightful, but you said you wanted to do this too.”

“Yeah, I do.” Tony sighed and tried not to let his fears of her reorganizing his apartment take over. He stepped forward and pecked a kiss onto her forehead before hugging her close.

“Just, grab that box and let’s go.” She patted his chest with a laugh as he hefted the box dramatically out into the hallway.

Settling in together wasn’t nearly as terrible as Tony thought it would be. Their schedules varied enough that once he went to work, Vivi had the space she needed to put her things away. She truly had gotten rid of or sold quite a bit; only bringing things that Tony didn’t have. Other than that, it was just her personal belongings that fit in nicely.

They grew to really enjoy sharing space with each other and it was nice to skip packing the overnight bag. It also didn’t hurt Tony’s feelings to come home late and night to find Vivi naked in bed.

But, the good feelings couldn’t last forever.

After a solid two months of living together, Tony started to notice a little quirk that never jumped out at him when he was at Vivi’s old apartment.

“Viv?”

“Yeah?” She answered from her place on the sofa.

“Is all this yours?” Tony spoke from the entrance to this kitchen.

“All what?”

“These papers and folders.”

Vivi looked over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah that’s just some stuff I need to work through and file for Naomi before I go in tomorrow.” She noticed a flash of distress cross his features. “Is it in the way?”

“Uh, no, no, it’s fine. I just didn’t want to put them away so you not be able to find them.”

“Okay, I’ll need them in a minute. They won’t be there long.”

The papers were one thing, they didn’t hang around long. The bathroom was a completely different one. Cosmetics and other junk ended up strewn all over the bathroom counter. Tony got so desperate and frustrated with the mess that he purchased some small baskets for her to organize everything.

“Tony? What’s all this for?” Vivi carried the baskets out to the bedroom.

“Oh, uh, I thought they’d look nice on the counter.”

Vivi arched a brow at him and sat down on the end of the bed. “Babe? Are you trying to tell me something?”

“What? No!”

“Tony, I’m not stupid. If you want me to clean up my stuff just say so.” She squeezed his ankle before taking the baskets back to the bathroom. “These are actually a really good idea! I’m glad you thought of it, babe.”

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He would definitely just say something next time.

Now, Vivi may not have been the neatest woman he’d ever encountered, but he was adjusting. There was clutter, but it wasn’t what you would consider straight up filth. And, to be fair, Tony had his faults too.

For the longest time he’d had a cleaning service come every two weeks. Vivi was not a huge fan of someone cleaning her space and preferred to do it herself. Plus, she had a good argument for using the money somewhere else.

They established a pretty good schedule of sorts to determine who would clean what and when. The one part of the apartment that became a bit of a standoff, however, was the dishwasher. It was the typical, take out what you need when it’s clean and then let the dirty dishes pile up until one of them got pissed off enough to unload the remaining clean to re-stack the dirty and run it immediately. They’d tried to work that in, but they used dishes every day, and their schedules being different made it a little difficult to place blame. So, even now, as they headed into the six month territory of living together, the dishwasher responsibilities lay unclaimed.

The end of 2009 was gaining on Vivi and Tony. It was the first week of December and they had been together for almost two years. It was a relationship that took a lot of hard work, and the pair continued to stick it out. There had been a few rough patches when they moved in together and got used to quirks they’d never encountered before, but things were good.

Tony had since made a decision about the future he wanted with Vivi. Sitting at his desk, he had the box in hand and was showing off the engagement ring.

“It’s so pretty Tony, she’s going to love it!” Abby was over the moon with excitement.

“I hope so, that’s assuming she says yes.”

“Of course she’ll say yes! Are you nuts? You two are perfect for each other, there’s no way she’ll say no!”

Tony smiled at her optimism. “Well, I’ve planned a special night for her, and I’m hoping you and maybe Ziva can help keep her occupied.”

“What do you want us to do with her?” Ziva looked at him, distress contorting her features. Spending time with other women was not really her thing, no matter how much she liked Vivi and Abby.

“Well first, don’t tell her what I’m planning.” He looked from Ziva, pointedly at Abby.

“I swear I’ll keep it locked tight!” She made a locking motion at her lips, but her excitement was palpable and Tony had his doubts.

“Second, I don’t know what girls do.” He shrugged. “Go shopping, have lunch…you’ll figure it out.”

“Oooh, yes! Let’s take her shopping. I have a perfect idea!” Abby motioned for Ziva to follow her and hash out what they would do with Vivi that upcoming Saturday morning.

Tony continued to look at the ring as Gibbs rounded the corner. Smiling to himself, he doubled back towards the elevators. “DiNozzo.”

Flicking the box shut and placing it in his jacket, he looked up. “Yeah, boss?”

“C’mere.” Gibbs gestured towards the elevator.

The pair boarded the elevator and, as it began to run, Gibbs reached forward and flicked a switch, causing it to stop. Gibbs stood there quietly for a moment. “You bought a ring, huh?”

“Uh yeah, yeah.” Tony fumbled a little as he pulled it from his pocket, flipping the top and showing it to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Now, I’m the last person to give any marriage advice.”

“Ha ha well, yeah, I mean you’ve been married, what, four times?” Tony joked, immediately receiving a glare from Gibbs. “Sorry, boss.”

“Vivi is a good woman, Tony, and I don’t have much to tell you except you treat her well, like you’re going to lose her tomorrow, because you never know. You’ll screw up and fight, everyone does, but don’t you or her go to bed mad, don’t hold onto it. Talk to each other, hell if I’ve learned anything it’s to communicate.” Leaning forward he flipped the elevator back on. He clapped Tony on the back as it began to move. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, boss.” Tony tucked the ring back into his pocket as they returned to the squad room.

Early Saturday afternoon, the girls arrived at a stretch of boutique stores. They were on a mission to find Ziva a dress for an upcoming date she had with a guy she’d been seeing for the past six months.

“So, we’re going cocktail fancy?” Vivi inquired.

Ziva sputtered a little trying to remember the story they’d created. “Uh yes…yes cocktail.” She really did have a date, which she had already purchased a new dress ages ago for. But, they promised Tony they’d distract her and this is what Abby had come up with.

Walking in, the three began browsing racks and pulling dresses for Ziva to try. Abby was off at one rack when she suddenly ran to Vivi, holding up a few dresses. “I really think you should try these on!”

“What? Oh, I don’t need any new dresses.” She waved her off even though the temptation was there.

“Oh come on.” Abby bounced a little on her toes. “How long has it been since you and Tony have had a ‘fancy’ date? This would be the perfect way to convince him!”

“You guys do remember that I co-own a clothing store, right? I think I’m covered.” She laughed trying to brush Abby off again.

Abby hadn’t thought about that and scrambled to gather her thoughts. “I know! But, you sell vintage style clothing and this is definitely not something I’ve seen you wear personally and it’s not something you’d carry in your store!”

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Vivi conceded and tried a few of them on. Abby cheering in triumph as Vivi modeled each one, surprising herself when she took one to the register.

As they walked down the row of shops, Abby had somehow convinced Vivi that she needed new lingerie to go with hers. “You never know, maybe with that hot dress and hot stuff underneath, you’ll be guaranteed nights out more often!”

“I wish I could say you were wrong, Abby.” Vivi laughed as she considered the set she had on in the dressing room. “But, Tony is definitely a visual guy and this little plan may get him to take me out as long as I let him take it all off.”

“A little too much information,” Ziva called into the cubicle, Abby giggling beside her.

Vivi stepped out of the dressing room with her selection in hand. “Yeah, I would say I’m sorry, Ziva, but I know his filter is, well, lacking.”

“You are not wrong. McGee and I have stopped him several times.” Ziva nodded.

“Yeah, we know you too well now to want to hear all of the details,” Abby agreed as they left the shop, heading back to the apartment that Vivi shared with Tony.

“Hey beautiful.” Tony pulled her in close as she entered the living room. “What’s in the bags?”

“Hmm? Oh these?” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Just a few things I picked up for the next time we decide to go out to a nice place.”

“Really?” Tony smiled. “Well we don’t have anything to do, how about we go somewhere tonight?”

Vivi shrugged. “Okay, anything particular in mind?”

“Oh, I can think of something.” He released her and followed her back to their room. Reaching for the bags as she sat them on the bed, she swatted his hands away.

“No way! I think I want those to be a surprise.” She winked. “I’m going to take a few minutes to clean up.” She kissed his cheek and disappeared into the bathroom with the bags.

Twenty minutes passed, and Vivi came out to find Tony fiddling with his jacket. “Ready?”

Tony turned and his mouth fell open. “Wow, I-uh wow.” He took in the burgundy dress and a silly grin formed on his face. It was a crushed velvet with long sleeves and a keyhole type opening just below her bustline. It also hugged every single one of her curves in such a way that Tony debated on them going out at all. “Come on.” He held out his arm and lead the way out the door before he changed his mind.

He had pulled out all of the stops for this date, starting with where they had their first dinner date and ending at the dance club where the first met.

Returning a few hours later, Vivi curled up on the sofa with a sigh. “Tonight was amazing! Why don’t we do that more often?” She smiled at Tony who remained standing, hands in his pockets.

“That’s a good question.” He rocked back on his heels, suddenly nervous.

“And, how cute are you going to our favorite spots!”

“Babe? You okay?”

Tony scratched the back of his head. “Uh…yeah, I’m great actually.” He crouched down in front of her and trailed a couple fingers along her leg. “I’m hoping tonight will get even better.” He looked up into her eyes with a soft smile.

Vivi was at full attention now. Is he? She thought. No…he can’t be. Her suspicions were instantly confirmed as he dropped one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring box.

“I thought I could get this speech I’ve been planning out, but,” His voice choked a little. “I just want to tell you that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He watched tears forming in her eyes. “Vivienne, will you marry me?”

Her brain had to quickly remind her to continue breathing and, with a quick exhale, a breathy ‘yes’ escaped her lips. She slid to the floor, into his arms after he slipped the ring on.

Squeezing her tight, the ball of nerves in Tony’s stomach relaxed; she’d said ‘yes’. They sat on the floor entwined together for quite some time, soft kisses and caresses exchanged as if they were trying to memorize the feeling of the other.

“Now, how about letting me see what else you bought today?” he whispered in her ear.

She quietly laughed. Bringing a hand up to his face, she pressed her forehead against his. “You’re ridiculous; I love you.”

“I know, I love you too, but I’m serious.” He leaned back and fingered the keyhole opening just below her bustline. “I caught a quick flash of something earlier, but you adjusted it too quickly!”

Leaning back, Vivi raised her brow at him, a smirk falling on her lips.

“Please?”

Vivi slid off of his lap and back up onto the sofa, fighting the grin that was coming as she watched his eyes growing dark with anticipation. “Well, since you said please.”

“Ha!” Tony jumped to his feet and without much warning, grabbed Vivi by the waist and flung her over his shoulder.

“Tony!” She squealed as he raced to the bedroom.

Reaching the doorway, he reached up and gave her ass a squeeze. “Ooh, feels like lace.” Gently he slid her off of his shoulder to the mattress and knelt at her feet.

Vivi propped up on her elbows as she watched him slip her shoes off and toss them to the floor. He started running a hand up each leg until his fingers disappeared under the skirt of the dress.

Tony gave a low groan as the pads of his fingers hit the bare skin of her thigh. “Oh yeah.” He moved his hand slightly. “Lace, I knew it!”

Falling onto her back, Vivi giggled as he moved the dress up over her hips to reveal the black lace panties. Goosebumps rose on her skin as he caressed her hips, hands sliding further up to her waist as he leaned over her, lips pressing gently to hers.

Her hands gently worked open his tie and shirt buttons. She felt his heated skin under her fingers and lightly dragged her nails down to pull the shirt from the waist of his pants.

The dress had a back zip and, as it met resistance around her ribs, she pushed on his chest so she could sit up. The kiss broke only for a few seconds here and there for a proper breath of air as Tony pulled the zipper so she could slide the sleeves down, leaving fabric pooling around her middle.

Breaking the kiss, he sat back on his heels as he admired her curves, accentuated by the matching bra. Her hand sliding into his boxers and gripping his length brought him back to the present with a groan as she stroked him.

Vivi released his fully hardened length and slid back to shimmy the dress over her hips, tossing it to the floor.

Tony watched her slide up towards the head of the bed and took her in. With another deep groan, he hopped off the bed, yanking his pants and boxers down. Crawling back over her, he started a trail of kisses up each leg.

A hum of approval came from Vivi as he softly dug his fingers down her legs, hitting sensitive points at the back of her knees. She lifted her hips as his fingers brushed over the lace still covering her rapidly heating center.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers as he rolled onto his side, a hand massaging her breast. He groaned against her lips as her hand began stroking his length again. After a moment, he slid the strap closest to him off of her shoulder before pulling them both to sit up and removing the offending garment completely.

“Babe, you’ve gotta stop.” With a heavy breath, Tony guided her hand away from him. After a short kiss to her lips, he began leaving a trail of wet kisses to her breasts. He lingered there for a time until her hands carded through his short locks pushing him down. “A little impatient?”

“I hate when you tease me, Tony. Just, please, touch me.”

She didn’t have to ask him twice. Moving down, he slid the last article of clothing from her body before settling between her legs. He kissed along each inner thigh to the crease of her leg. One arm wrapped around her hip, he dragged a finger through her wet folds, tracing a teasing circle around her clit.

“Tony.”

He could hear her frustration and took the hint when her nails dug into the arm over her hip. Wasting no more time, he flattened his tongue, licking a couple of wide stripes before closing his lips around her clit.

“Yes-fina-.” Her words cut short as he slid a couple of fingers in, curling them against the sensitive nerve endings there as he pumped them.

He switched between licking and sucking, while adjusting the pace of his fingers, slowing things down a little. After a few minutes of this, he could feel the pressure of her hands on his head and the tilt of her hips demanding otherwise. Moving where she wanted him and following her cries, it wasn’t long before she went over the edge.

As Vivi took a moment to regain her senses, Tony kissed his way back up and settled between her legs. Kissing and sucking at the sensitive spot on her neck, he lifted his hips a little as she reached to line him up with her waiting heat. Slowly he pushed in, her hands now at his shoulder, nails leaving crescent imprints.

“Jesus chri-” Vivi held her grip on his shoulders as she began to tilt her hips. “Baby, move please.”

With a deep grunt, he pulled almost completely out before sliding back in. Slowly, he began to set a rhythm, his forearms just over her shoulders as he continued to kiss along her neck and jawline.

Still humming with sensation, Vivi slid one of her hands down and began to rub her clit. Moaning into his kisses, she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Tony faster please-oh.” Tilting her hips slightly, he was now perfectly angled. “Oh, right there-don’t slow down right there, please.”

As he continued to move he could feel her walls beginning to flutter and spasm around him as her climax drew closer. He moved his hand down to replace hers, placing a little more pressure and moving in time with his thrusts. “Viv-I’m close.”

“Me to, just-” She shifted just a little more and the change made her vision go white as her body rode the wave of her climax. Gripping his shoulders tightly, she let go and felt him releasing inside of her with a groan.

Laying still for a moment to catch his breath he peppered kisses over her heated skin. “God, I love you.”

Giggling as he rolled to her side, Vivi pressed a kiss to his chest. “I love you too.” Laying there quietly, Vivi held up her hand and admired the ring. She truly didn’t have words to express her feelings, other than that she couldn’t wait to marry her best friend.

“You like it?” Tony’s soft, sleepy voice startled her from her thoughts.

“I do.” She grinned up at him.

Tony chuckled at her response. “I do…too.”


	7. Chapter 7

October 9, 2010. That was the date they had chosen. It gave them plenty of time to plan with their schedules, and the weather was generally still nice in DC.

“God, do we really need a wedding planner though?”

“Why not? Takes some pressure off of both of us.” Tony shrugged. He thought it was a great idea and worth the money to have someone else to the bulk of the leg work.

“Ugh, I just really would rather do it myself.”

“Honey, he’s right.” Judy reached across her kitchen table, placing a gentle hand on Vivi’s forearm. “You two are so busy all of the time and planning a wedding can be very overwhelming.”

Tony gave Vivi an ‘I told you so’ look. “Oh shut up!” Vivi pushed at his knee forcing his legs to uncross. “Alright, I’ll look into…who is this?” She flipped over the card Judy had given her. “Seriously?! Candy?! She sounds like a porn star!”

Tony laughed and took the card from her to confirm what he’d heard. “Wow!”

“Now you two! She’s very sweet!” Judy chastised them. “I met her when I was ordering flowers for the Valentine’s brunch at church last week. She had a beautiful assortment of flowers for a wedding and, when I mentioned my granddaughter was engaged, she gave me her card.”

Vivi sighed and sat back in her chair. “Okay, I’ll call her Monday.”

During a break on Monday afternoon, Vivi called the number written across the bottom of the sickeningly pink business card. From the moment Candy answered the phone, Vivi cringed; the level of cheer and excitement in her voice was overwhelming, to put it mildly.

The initial conversation was to set up a first meeting so Candy could get an idea of what Vivi and Tony wanted for their day.

“I still really don’t think we need a planner,” Vivi grumbled as they walked up to the coffee shop for their meeting.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fine! She gets to do all of the hard work so we aren’t ready to kill each other by October.” Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

“Yeah, but I have a feeling I might kill her by October.”

“Be nice,” he whispered in her ear. “I think the over excited brunette in the corner is who we’re looking for.”

“Hi!” Candy beamed as she waved them over. “You must be Tony and Vivienne!”

“That’s us.” Tony shook her hand and gave Vivi a nudge to do the same.

“So! October 9th!” The grin didn’t leave Candy’s face as they started to dig down into the initial ideas they had. Vivi relaxed as they started talking and became a little animated herself over certain details.

“See, it isn’t all that bad,” Tony whispered in her ear as Candy excused herself to make a call.

“I guess not.” Vivi turned nose to nose with him and pecked his lips. “She still could take the cheerfulness down several hundred notches.”

Tony chuckled and nudged her legs with his knee as Candy returned.

“Okay, so I will start working on what we have to far and keep in touch! We can schedule another meeting in a few weeks to check in. How does that sound?” Vivi nodded and she continued. “Great! Oh! When are you going to shop for your dress?”

“Oh, uh, I haven’t picked a time to go yet. It will be soon though.”

“Great! That will help with a lot of the decor decisions when we get there!”

Vivi slumped down when they got into the car. “I guess I’m dress shopping soon, huh?”

Tony nodded and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?”

“Say it.”

“Say what?” Vivi’s brow furrowed.

“That your Gran and I were right. You do need this wedding planner.”

Vivi rolled her eyes and mumbled it under her breath.

“What? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Oh for g-you were right!” She threw her hands up and let them fall back to her lap with a loud slap. “There? Happy?”

“Yes.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I love you, honey.” He grinned at her when she grabbed his chin.

“You are annoying as hell.” She gave him a hard peck. “I love you, too.”

“Do you know what style you’re looking for?” Naomi asked as they pulled up to the small dress shop.

“Kind of. I’ve looked online and have a vague idea of what I’d like. But, that doesn’t mean that’s what I’ll get,” Vivi laughed. “Ready?” She glanced back at Judy who was already misty. “Gran?”

“Yes, I’m ready.” She pulled a tissue from her purse. “Just practicing.” She gave both girls a wink before climbing from the car.

Vivi gave her name as they walked in and they browsed a bit while they waited for the sales associate.

“You are going to go for a more vintage style, right?” Naomi asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I was leaning toward. For you, too.”

“Oooh!”

“Alright ladies. My name is Amanda and I’ll be working with you today. So Vivienne?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

Amanda shook her hand and smiled before looking back at her clipboard. “And, it’s just your maid of honor, Naomi, and grandmother, Judy?”

“Yes.”

“Great! Well, let’s start with you and then we can move onto these lovely ladies.” Amanda smiled and guided Vivi to some dresses to start looking through. There were about five different style dresses pulled to the fitting room by the time they were ready.

Amanda helped Vivi get into the dress and made some adjustments with clips to see how it would fit once it was altered. Stepping out first, Amanda held the fitting room door open as Vivi walked through.

“What do you think?” Vivi asked as she stepped squarely in front of the mirror.

“It’s gorgeous!” Judy couldn’t help the tears that were falling as she looked at her granddaughter.

The laughter and tears continued through four more dresses and Vivi definitely was between two of them.

“Okay, let me go back to the second dress.”

“You think it’s that one or the fourth one still?”

“Yeah, I’m just kind of torn.”

“Do you want to try a veil with them and see if adding a few accessories sways you?” Amanda asked.

“Oh, good idea!”

She put the fourth one back on and, after Amanda added a few extras, it looked great, but it didn’t move Vivi like she had hoped. Stepping back into the dressing room, she changed into the second dress.

“Oh! Amanda?” Namoi followed the young woman to the selection of veils. “I saw this adorable little hat with a veil that I think would go perfect with this dress! I think going full vintage on this look would bring it home for her.”

“Okay, give me a moment and I’ll grab it!”

As Naomi returned, Vivi stepped out and was gently smoothing the fabric as she stood in front of the mirror.

“Alright, so Naomi suggested this, Vivi.” Amanda held up the hat for Vivi to see.

“Oh! That’s beautiful!” She ducked her head so it could be placed securely.

“Vivienne!” Judy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

Vivi looked at the whole thing and butterflies filled her stomach. “Yeah, Gran.”

“I knew that hat would cinch it! You look amazing!” Namoi smiled. “Get a cute pair of matching peep toe heels and you are a 1950s bride if I’ve ever seen one!”

Vivi laughed and wiped at a few stray tears. The dress really was perfect! It was a tea length ivory lace with long sleeves. She could envision her hair pulled back and the necklace Tony had given her on their first anniversary finishing it off.

After changing back into her street clothes, it was time to find Naomi and Judy’s dresses. They ultimately decided on the same tea length styles for both women. Naomi’s was a beautiful navy blue and Judy’s was a dusty rose.

“Ladies thank you so much for sharing today with me.” Amanda smiled as she finished the sale. “The dresses should be ready in the next six to eight weeks. Congratulations, Vivi!”

“Thank you.” Vivi smiled and was filled with elation as they left the store.

The DiNozzo & Montecrieff wedding plans were nearing completion, and Vivi hated to admit it, but Candy was doing an amazing job keeping them organized. It was coming together exactly as the pair had hoped. They were keeping it relatively small and intimate, but with the style and class right out of their favorite classic movies.

The present decision was proving to be more difficult than anticipated; the first dance. 

“Tony, I really think we should take dance lessons for this.” Vivi was insistent.

“But, we know how to dance. We dance around here all the time! We MET dancing!”

“Well, but that’s just been for fun and without people watching us the whole time, I want this to be seamless.” She eyed her fiance from her end of the sofa. “How about this, you pick the song that we have our first dance to and we go to that little place downtown where we went a few months ago. They have instructors there, I’m sure there’s someone there who will make sure we look great!”

Tony couldn’t help but warm up to the idea with the option of getting to choose the song. He didn’t even need to think about it, he knew the perfect song. “Okay, deal. I pick the song and we take some lessons.”

Vivi let out a small squeal as she climbed onto his lap to peck a noisy kiss to his lips. “You’re the best, babe! It’s going to be amazing!”

He couldn’t disagree, but he had one more small addendum. “We can’t tell anyone though. McGoo will give me hell if he finds out I’m taking dance lessons.”

“Babe, I think he knows that we dance.”

“Yeah, but it’s the whole lesson part.”

She rolled her eyes with a laugh before she kissed his cheek. “Okay, mum’s the word. Now, let me track down the contact information to set up the first lesson.”

The lessons turned out to be a lot of fun and a bit of a stress reliever as the wedding drew near. The pair discovered that the little bit of dancing they did around their living room or on the occasional night out paid off. They had a natural rhythm and were able to quickly pick up the routine created to go along with the song that Tony had chosen.

The night of their rehearsal dinner, Tony had a bag packed as he would be staying with Ducky. Vivi could then get ready in keeping with the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride prior to the wedding.

“One more practice run of the dance?” Tony held out his hand to his future wife.

“Definitely!”

As the song ended, they were all smiles. “I think we’ve got it Almost-Mrs. DiNozzo.” He bent down to pick up his bag. “You ready?”

“More than ever.”

Arriving at the venue, they met Vivi’s grandmother and the officiant to discuss how the rehearsal would go.

“Now my dear, who will be walking you down the aisle?”

“My Grandad,” Vivi started. “Gran? Where’s Grandad?” She could feel a panic settling in her low belly.

“Where’s my Dad for that matter?” Tony furrowed his brow, not really wanting to babysit his dad the next few days.

Candy immediately stepped in. “I’ll go find them, hang tight.” She didn’t have to go far, he was off by the entrance of the hall talking to Tony’s father. “Mr. Montecrieff? Mr. DiNozzo? They’re ready for you?”

“Oh! I’m sorry hon. Just a sec.” He smiled at Candy as she scurried back to Vivi and Judy. “I guess they missed us. TIme to practice giving my little girl away.” He winked and made his way to the main hall with a chuckle from DiNozzo Sr. as he followed behind.

“There you are!” Judy scolded, but Ed only winked at her and gave her a little pinch to her side.

“Dad?” Tony eyed his father carefully.

“Oh, don’t worry so much, Junior!” He smiled brightly. “Us old guys didn’t wander that far!”

The only members of the actual wedding party were Naomi as maid of honor and Ducky as best man. So once all were present, the actual rehearsal was quick, and they were joined by the rest of the team at a local Italian restaurant for dinner and a little time to relax before the big day.

The morning of the wedding went by in a flurry for Vivi. Between, hair, makeup, and fretting over if everything was ready, despite Candy’s reassurance, she was a ball of nerves. Once she was fully dressed, however, time seemed to creep by as she waited for her Grandad to walk her down.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Ed’s voice was choked as he saw her. “God you look so much like your mother. I’m so glad I got this day with you, both of you.” He pulled Vivi and Judy into a hug.

“Oh,” Vivi fanned her hands. “I don’t want my makeup to run.”

“Here.” Judy lightly dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “You do look beautiful, baby. Your mama would be so proud.”

“Is everyone ready?” Candy poked her head in.

Vivi took a deep breath and nodded. Naomi walked down first, followed by Judy. As Vivi linked her arm with her Grandad, he gave her a kiss to the temple before they started moving.

Tony had tears in his eyes when he saw her walking towards him, and Vivi lost her breath as she spotted him. She heard a few whispers as she walked past their guests, but, as they stopped, everyone else fell away, their voices distant.

The officiant read a few things to begin the ceremony as the two lost themselves in the moment. After the reading of a poem that had been chosen by Judy, it was their turn to share the vows they’d written for one another.

Tony pulled in a breath that shook a little more than he was prepared for and gave Vivi’s hands a tight squeeze. “I, Anthony, take you, Vivienne, to be my wife. Today, I promise you this: I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. Together, let us build a home filled with learning, laughter, and light, shared freely with all who may live there. Let us be partners, friends, and lovers, today and all of the days that follow.”

After he placed the ring on her finger, Vivi freed one of her hands to wipe away a tear that had fallen down his cheek. “My turn, huh?” Vivi sniffled and took the paper she’d written on from Naomi. “I don’t have as good a memory.”

Tony and the guests who heard her chuckled.

“I, Vivienne, take you, Anthony, to be my husband. I promise to always be your biggest fan and your partner in crime. I promise to create and support a family with you, in a household filled with laughter, patience, understanding, and love. I vow not just to grow old together, but to grow together. I will love you faithfully through the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there, each one believing that love never dies. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep.” Vivi slowly placed the ring on his finger and squeezed his hands tightly as their officiant wrapped up the ceremony.

As soon as the words, ‘you may kiss the bride’ were spoken, Tony had one hand at her shoulders and the other on her low back. He’d teased about dipping her, so she was marginally prepared, but Vivi couldn’t help but giggle through the kiss as their family and friends cheered, whistled, and laughed at the display.

After they all but jogged down the aisle, they were instantly whisked away for pictures. There was about an hour spent on the photos before they prepared themselves to enter the reception. They had planned to go right into their first dance as soon as they entered, and Candy was waving them back to the entrance. “You ready to show off a little?” Vivi asked after pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“Always.” He grinned and held her hand tightly as they walked to the center of the dance floor as “I’ve Got the World on a String” began to play.

I’ve got the world on a string, sittin’ on a rainbow

Got the string around my finger

What a world, what a life, I’m in love!

I’ve got a song that I sing

They swayed, twirled, and stepped together perfectly as they held each other tight. Their guests were in awe of what they were seeing unfold, the weeks of practice clearly paying off as Sinatra serenaded the room.

The final notes of the song faded as Tony dipped Vivi gently, kissing her sweetly. Their guests threw out cheers and whistles for the now flushed couple as they took a small bow. 

“I’m so glad we did that,” Vivi whispered as they took their seats for a moment to catch their breath.

“Me too.” Tony leaned his forehead against hers looking in her eyes. He could safely say he was the happiest man alive in that moment. “You ready to mingle a little, Mrs. DiNozzo?” 

“Definitely.” Kissing him once more to a small chorus of “awes”, they started their evening as husband and wife.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s their honeymoon-100% NSFW (oral m&f receiving, unprotected sex).

After a day of recuperating and packing, the couple jetted off to their island honeymoon. One layover and a short taxi ride later, they arrived at a quiet resort in Jamaica.

“Wow, you were serious when you said you were getting us the nicest suite this place had.” Vivi glanced around the most beautiful ocean view room that seemed to be straight from a magazine. It was very private and they had access to the beach right from their patio.

Following her out onto the patio, he stood behind her, arms around her waist. “Well, we had to have someplace nice, clean, and comfortable.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I don’t plan on leaving this room very often.”

“Mmm.” She leaned back against him and craned her neck to look up at him. “Good plan.”

Leaning down, he pecked a kiss to her lips before releasing her and walking back through another door that led to the bedroom.

Vivi leaned on the railing and closed her eyes with a sigh as she let the breeze caress her face and the sound of the ocean wash over her.

“Oh, you’ve gotta come and see this!”

Vivi’s eyes flicked open and she followed Tony into the bedroom. The bed looked beyond comfortable and the bathroom was enormous; it would be hard to go back to their apartment in DC after this.

“We’re definitely not leaving this room,” Tony stated from where he had flopped down onto the bed, eyes closed, the energy expended from traveling apparent on his face.

“Well, you’re no fun,” Vivi stated as she straddled his hips and peppered kisses over his face and neck.

“Just resting my eyes.”

“Mmm hmm,” she hummed as she nipped at his ear. “How about you just lay here and relax then.” Sitting up she slowly undid the buttons of the Hawaiian shirt he insisted on wearing. She lightly dragged her nails from his stomach to his shoulders before pressing her body to his as she slowly kissed him. As she wound her arms underneath his head, she felt his hands slide under her sundress and rub small circles along her hips and thighs.

Tony was definitely tired after the last few days of non-stop activity, but the more heat Vivi put into the kiss, the more energized he was beginning to feel. As his hands moved higher on her hips, he broke the kiss. “Comando huh?”

“Mmhmm.” She ground against him as she moved her kisses to his neck.

His chuckling turned into a groan as she began to slowly roll her hips against him. He continued to run his hands along her legs as she pecked kisses along his collar and back to his lips.

She was definitely not in a hurry and why should she be? This was the first time since the wedding that they didn’t have somewhere to be at a certain time. In truth, they hadn’t even made love on their wedding night. By the time they got home, they were so exhausted that once they had cleaned up, they just crashed in bed with barely audible ‘good-nights’ and ‘I love you’s’. Packing and traveling followed the next day, so sex had been pushed to the side, despite what romantic tales the movies tell. This whole week was not only celebrating their marriage, but just a chance to be alone and enjoy each other without their work and everyday life getting in the way.

“I love you, Tony.” Vivi’s voice was a bit breathless as their kiss broke. Her skin was heated and she could feel his hardened cock beneath her.

“I love you too, Vivi, or should I say Mrs. DiNozzo.” He grinned up at her, running his left hand over her cheek into her hair.

“Mmm, I like the sound of that.” Pressing another kiss to his lips, she slowly sat up. With her hands resting on his chest, she caught the glint of her rings, a smile lighting up her features as she locked eyes with her husband. Reaching down, she grabbed the hem of her sundress and pulled it up and over her head, leaving only her bra to cover her.

Holding a hand to her lower back, Tony sat up, adjusting her slightly before unclasping her bra and tossing it to the floor. As her arms wrapped around his neck, resuming their kiss, he gently massaged her breasts, nipples stiffening at his touch.

Vivi moved her hands just underneath the fabric of his shirt and pushed it off of his body, forcing him to release her breasts. As his shirt joined her clothing on the floor, she guided him to his back while she shifted down his body. Unfastening his shorts, she pulled them with his boxers off. Running her hands up his legs, she knelt between them, her hand wrapping around his cock. She stroked him a few times before licking from base to tip. Slowly she took in as much of him as she could, hollowing her cheeks as she began to move along his length.

Tony pressed his head back against the mattress as she worked, his hands lightly tangled in her hair. After several minutes of her mouth on him, he guided her off and back up to his side. “If you keep going, I’m not gonna last. Not how I wanna start our honeymoon.”

Their arms wrapped around one another, bodies pressed together as they nipped and sucked at each other’s lips, Tony rolled them so Vivi was now lying flat on the bed, watching as his eyes scanned down her flushed skin.

“My turn.” He kissed from her neck down to the apex of her thighs, a few open mouth kisses along her inner thighs before teasing her wetness with his fingers. He started teasing her with just the tip of his tongue, her hips rolling forward for more contact. As her hands came to rest on his head, he flattened his tongue, licking a stripe to her clit, sucking it between his lips. He groaned into her when he heard her breathless whimper at the contact and her nails lightly scratching his scalp. As he alternated between licking and sucking, building her up as slowly as he could, he slipped one then two fingers inside, pumping gently.

He definitely was achieving the slow burn, but Vivi was desperate for more. The heat pooling between her legs was almost painful, so when he started using his fingers she started rocking her hips. She wanted just a little more friction. “Tony, please.” She gripped his hair trying to guide him where she needed him the most.

Following her lead, he could feel the change as she began to flutter around his fingers, her climax growing closer. Curling his fingers slightly, he began to brush against her g-spot and, after a few strokes, felt her body shift and stiffen. Keeping up the pace, she began to pulse and clench around his fingers as her orgasm washed over her, soft moans filtering through her panting as her body relaxed on the bed.

After catching her breath, she looked over to Tony who had moved back to her side. Tasting herself on his tongue as she kissed him, she pushed him to his back. Bringing her legs to straddle him, she reached between them and guided him to her entrance, sliding down slowly.

He gripped her hips as he watched her sink down onto his cock, and he fought to keep still while she settled. His head pressed back into the pillows again when she started to move along his length, her hands on his chest for leverage.

Leaning forward, she pressed kisses along his chest and neck, not hesitating to suck a little harder along his neck, a mark sure to be there later. Hands still braced on his chest, she began to roll her hips so she could grind her clit into him. Keeping a steady pace, she could feel her orgasm building again as she rode him.

Her nails were digging into his shoulders, and he could feel her starting to clench around him as she continued to move. He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned into him a little more, her breasts rubbing against his chest. Moving her hair from her face he pulled her into a kiss as he moved his hips up into hers.

Vivi broke the kiss as her orgasm began to pulse through her body. “Fuck…Tony…” she panted as her body shook on top of his.

Tony groaned as she clenched around his own release, milking him for everything he had. He wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed onto his chest. “I love you,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

“I love you too.” She kissed his chest as they lay connected for a few more moments, bodies still buzzing.

Rolling her to his side, Tony pecked a kiss to her lips as he headed for the bathroom and a warm washcloth. Returning to the bed, he sat on the edge and helped Vivi clean up before cleaning himself up. Once they settled under the sheets, it wasn’t long before they dozed off.

A few hours later, they both woke up starving. Deciding to order room service, Vivi retreated to the shower while Tony ordered dinner. He stepped in behind her and just enjoyed the closeness and lack of interruptions this trip was affording them.

A knock from room service came as they were toweling off. Throwing on a robe, Tony went to receive their food.

“Shit!” He heard Vivi whisper harshly as he re-entered the bedroom.

Standing in front of the vanity, wrapped in a towel, Vivi was furiously going through their toiletry bags.

“Honey? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find them.” She moved past him to her suitcase and began digging around the side pockets. When she appeared to have no luck, she moved on to her purse.

“Find what?” Tony was confused about what she could have lost; she had her rings on. He watched her while he changed into a pair of shorts.

“Fuck!” She sat on the end of the bed looking defeated and roughly grabbed one of Tony’s old Ohio State shirts she liked to use as a nightshirt.

“Babe, I still don’t know what you’re looking for. If you tell me I can help.” Tony was kneeling in front of her as she pulled the shirt over her head.

With a heavy sigh, she looked into his eyes. “I can’t find my birth control pills. I swore I put them into my bag yesterday. I just can’t figure out why they wouldn’t be in there!”

Tony couldn’t deny the small wave of panic that flowed through his stomach as he heard this. No birth control meant either a) having to suck it up and wear a condom-not his first choice, or b) take the chance and maybe nothing would happen and she could just restart when they got home. “Well, uh, what were you doing when you packed them?”

Sighing, she thought back to the previous night. “I was packing that bag with basic first aid kind of stuff and it was time to take the pill. So I had the pack in my hand and was taking it, you came and told me that dinner was there and then I…” She remembered now. “Shit! I just threw it next to my makeup brushes where I always keep them. Damnit!” She was annoyed at herself for being careless and placed her face in her hands.

“Hey, hey, it’s fine! This is fine!” He moved next to her on the bed and pulled her close. “Look, I know we talked about waiting, but they’re not here. I mean we can use condoms if that’s what you want,but what are the chances with only a week off that you could get pregnant? Doesn’t it sometimes take a few months for it to clear out of your system?”

She was a little surprised to hear this from Tony. They had talked about starting a family sooner rather than later, but this was much sooner than they’d planned! Condoms really weren’t something she wanted to used with him, but she also knew that there were women who were actively taking the pill that got pregnant despite it. “Are you sure you want to? I mean, it’s just we wanted to wait and I don’t want to regret….”

Tony pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m sure. It scares the hell out of me, but it’s not like in six months or a year from now that will change. Plus, we don’t even know that anything will even happen.”

“Yeah, well as long as we’re both okay with it.” She leaned into his shoulder. “Then I guess we can go through this honeymoon as planned.”

“You mean having sex in every possible place we can and maybe leaving once or twice only to come back and do it some more?” Tony’s grin was infectious as he looked down at her.

Laughing, Vivi nodded. “Yeah, that pretty much sounds like our original plan.”

Kissing the top of her head, Tony stood and held out his hand. “Okay, well, before we do anymore of that let’s eat. I’m starving.”

“Me too.” She let him pull her from the bed and out to the living area to finish out the first of one of the most relaxing weeks they would have for a long time.

One of the few times they ventured away from their room was to visit a beach and some of the waterfalls not far from their hotel. There were a few other honeymooning couples that joined them and all were delighted by Tony’s continuous narrative of the various locations where “Dr. No” had been filmed.

“Your husband really knows a lot about James Bond, huh?” one of the wives asked Vivi.

“Yeah, it’s an endearing quality I’ve grown used to.” Vivi shook her head and laughed.

As the group hung around the falls, Tony had situated himself in a perfect spot where the water was flowing around him. Vivi moved to her bag and grabbed her phone. “Babe? Over here.”

Tony glanced over as she took his picture. “I’m never leaving this spot.”

“Oh is that so?” Vivi waded just out of the spray of the falls. “So, I’m just supposed to go back and finish off this honeymoon alone?”

Splashing down off the rock he’d been sitting on, Tony swam over and grabbed her waist. “Very funny.” He went right for her neck where there was already a few impressive purple marks. “No, as a matter of fact, let’s get out of here.”

“Great idea!” Vivi pecked his lips before they said a quick goodbye to the other couples. As they headed back up the beach and were just in sight of the hotel, they decided to stop for a bit.

“Hey, stop for a second.”

“What? Why?” Viv was walking up from the waves.

“Go back and walk up just like you were?”

VIvi gave him a strange look, but went back and turned around.

“Yeah!” Tony grinned as he took a couple pictures of Viv.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You look just like a Bond girl in that bikini!” He smiled triumphantly and showed her his phone.

Vivi snorted and gave his shoulder a push. “You’re an idiot!” She reached down for her cover up and bag. “You ready to go in?”

“Yeah.” Tony paused and another grin spread across his face. “Last one inside is on top!”

“What? Tony!” Vivi took off after him up the beach and, just as they neared the hotel, she grabbed the back of his shorts.

“Hey!” He lost his balance as she pulled him backwards and moved past him. “Cheater!”

“What are you gonna do?” Vivi teased as she turned to face him, walking backwards.

“Oh ho! I have plenty of things I’ll do.”

“Is that so?” They stopped just outside of their room.

Tony had the card for their room in his hand and gave her ass a hard slap as he swiped it and opened the door. “Guess you’re on top!” He grinned as Vivi stood out in the hallway stunned, her hand over where his hand had been.

“Oh, you’re gonna get it buddy!” She pushed him backwards and let the door fall closed behind them.

Tony followed her as she went to the bedroom. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watched her slip her swimsuit out from under her cover up.

Walking to the other side of the bed, Vivi knelt on the edge and pulled him back by his shoulders. She ran her hands through his hair and along the scruff that had grown on his cheeks.

He sucked a nipple into his mouth as she leaned over him, her nails lightly scratching along his chest. Releasing her, he ran his hands along her sides, gently guiding her forward. He leaned up and kissed down her body as she made her way to the waist of his swim trunks.

Vivi slid her hand beneath the fabric and slowly began to stroke him. She started to shift them down his hips when she felt his mouth against her. “Oh god.” She rested her forehead against his hip as he continued to lick and suck. After a moment, she was able to shift his trunks down enough to pull him out.

Tony groaned and gripped her hips when he felt her mouth around him. Laying his head back, he inserted a couple of fingers, pumping them slowly while he circled her clit with his thumb. He grinned as he felt her moan vibrate around his cock.

When she released him, his hands came up to her waist as he sat up and shifted back on the bed.

“Don’t move, hang on.” Tony chuckled as he shoved his trunks the rest of the way off. “Okay.” He kissed across her back as he guided her down onto his cock.

Her knees on either side of his thighs, she leaned back against his chest and slowly started to slide up and down his length. She gripped his hand as it held onto her thigh while the other drifted down to her clit.

He kissed and sucked at the soft skin of her neck, adding to the array of marks from earlier in the week.

Vivi slowed her movements and climbed off of him and turned to face him. Pushing gently on his chest, she straddled his hips before taking him again. She grinned as he groaned and pressed his head into the mattress. Leaning down, she gave a quick bite to each nipple before kissing and sucking her way to his mouth. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rolled her hips as she moved.

“Viv-I’m-come on.” He could barely string a sentence.

“Yeah.” Vivi knew exactly what he meant and moved a little faster. It wasn’t long and she was moaning against his shoulder as she came. Tony wasn’t far behind, his hands gripping her ass tight as he emptied into her. They lay still for a few moments before Viv rolled to her side, her hand resting on his chest.

“Wow.” Tony huffed as he caught his breath. “I keep thinking each time has been the best, but…”

“Well, I have been on top most of the time.” Vivi patted his chest.

“Not most of the time!”

“Yes, most of the time!”

“Okay fine. But, you’re really good at being on top.”

“Ha! Is that why you challenged me to a race I wasn’t even prepared for?”

“Maybe.” Tony chuckled at Vivi’s quiet snort as she giggled and tossed a pillow onto his head.

“You’re an idiot.” She snuggled against him. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” He kissed the top of her head and pulled the duvet up with a foot to cover them as they dozed off for the afternoon.

Boarding the plane back home to Washington, D.C. they were sad to leave their little hideaway from the real world, but they both had to get back to work and the holidays were not too far around the corner.

“Oh,” Tony had to stifle a laugh. “I hope you’ve got a scarf in that bag.”

“Huh?” Vivi frowned at him and he grinned back gesturing to her neck. “Oh that! Fortunately I thought ahead and do indeed have a scarf packed. It is the end of October in D.C. after all.” She gave him a wink and a quick elbow to the side. “But uh, make sure you button your shirts all the way. Not sure how well a scarf will go with your suit and tie.”

“They’re a good conversation starter though,” he whispered as they settled into their seats.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure Gibbs and your team will LOVE to hear all about our honeymoon sexcapades!”

“Sexcapades?”

“Oh shut up! You know what I mean.” Vivi stuck her tongue out at him.

Tony chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaning back and closing his eyes as they waited for take off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little post-honeymoon surprise!

Upon returning from their honeymoon, the DiNozzo’s felt as if everything had just stopped and waited for them. As soon as they felt even remotely settled at home, work washed over them like a tidal wave.

On Tony’s first day back to work, he felt good! There was a spring in his step that was hard to miss. There were a few other things that were hard to miss, and Abby was the first to spot them.

“Welcome back!” She pulled him into a tight hug as he walked into the squad room.

“Thanks, Abs!” A grin stretched across Tony’s face as he settled in at his desk.

“Woah!” Abby leaned down. “I was gonna comment on your tan, but I think those hickies are more exciting!”

“Mmm, looks like you two had a lot of fun,” Ziva commented as she leaned back in her chair.

“As a matter of fact, we did.” He undid the collar of his shirt to reveal several more fading marks on his upper chest.

“So are you just going to show them off like Gibbs won’t notice?” McGee added.

“Tony, this is a federal office building. Button your shirt.” Gibbs spoke firmly as he strode to his desk.

“Nice to see you too, boss.” Tony blushed and buttoned his shirt, shooting a pointed glare at McGee.

“So, how many hickies did you leave on Vivi?” Abby leaned close to Tony and whispered.

“Abby…” Gibbs’ voice came as a warning.

Tony winked and gave her a grin as she retreated to her lab; she could fish for details later.

When Vivi returned to work, Naomi gave her just as much of a hard time about the hickeys Vivi tried to cover with a scarf. Fortunately, it was late October, so keeping it on didn’t seem unusual.

Vivi’s days were fairly busy as she and Naomi prepared the store for the winter holidays. Work brought her in early and kept her there late, and she desperately missed the lazy days she and Tony spent in Jamaica. But, their honeymoon couldn’t go on forever, so it was back to real life for both of them.

They both had a steady streak of long days, just drifting past one another each morning and evening. The closer the holidays got, the busier things became and the more tired Vivi felt. It wasn’t unusual for her to be tired after her extended holiday hours, but, in the past, she had been able to take a day or two off and bounce right back. This year, not so much.

“What’s with you lately?” Naomi asked her one evening as they finished closing up.

“Oh, I guess the push of getting ready for the post-Thanksgiving shopping just has me run down.”

“I don’t know about that. It’s the same as it was last year, and you definitely weren’t this run-down and green in the gills.” Naomi paused for a second, her face lighting up as a thought occurred to her. “Oh my god, are you pregnant?!”

“What?!” Truthfully, the thought hadn’t really entered Vivi’s mind since she realized she had left her birth control at home over the honeymoon. Just being with Tony and enjoying the quiet, it completely slipped her mind, and she never resumed taking them when they returned home.

“It could explain why you’ve been feeling so off lately! Get a test on the way home - what could it hurt?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Vivi nodded as she waved off Naomi and climbed into her car. She headed straight for the nearest drug store.

When she arrived at home, she was surprised to see Tony had gotten there first. “Hey, babe! How was your day?” He pulled her to him and softly kissed her.

“Mmm, it was good. You’re home early!” She tossed her purse onto the entry table and let Tony pull her to the kitchen, where he had dinner waiting. “Ooh, look at you! Man, remind me to thank whomever is responsible for you coming home early.”

Tony laughed. “Gibbs let us all head home since we wrapped this case. We’ve spent too many long nights there lately, and what we still have to do can wait until tomorrow.”

“Well, that’s good.” She gave him a tired smile as she sat down, suddenly not feeling too hot, nor digging the smell of the meal in front of her.

“Hey, are you okay?” Tony noticed the dark circles under her eyes as the color drained from her face. Both of them had been working like crazy, but she was usually asleep by the time he arrived home.

“Uh, I guess so. I don’t know. I’m so tired, Tony.” Leaning forward onto the table, Vivi rested her head on her forearms and mumbled, “Naomi thinks I’m pregnant.”

“She what?” Tony had also allowed this possibility to slip his mind.

Lifting her head back up, she looked across the table at him. “She thinks I’m pregnant, and, honestly, she might be right. I’m exhausted. This dinner is making me queasy, and it’s one of my favorites. And, until now, I didn’t really think about the fact that I should have gotten my period last week.”

“Oh, well, did you-”

“Pick up a pregnancy test? Yep, on the way home.”

They sat in silence for a moment, neither of them really sure what to say. Sure, they knew the chances of getting pregnant were getting pretty high since returning from their honeymoon, they just didn’t expect that it would happen so quickly. “Can you take it now?”

“Uh- I guess? Let me grab it and look at the directions.” Sitting back at the table, she scanned through the instructions. The test could be taken anytime, but the recommended method was to wait one week following a missed period, and then do it in the morning for more concentrated urine. “Gross, but okay.”

“What?”

Vivi relayed the details of why it should be done in the morning. “I guess I’ll do it first thing then.” The rest of the night felt a little strange and was filled with anticipation. They kept coming back to the possibility of this being real.

“So, I guess it really happened on our honeymoon, huh?” Tony climbed into bed.

“I guess. I mean, you’re okay with this, right?” Laying the book she had been reading on the nightstand, she rolled onto her side to face him.

“Yeah. We knew it was a possibility.”

Vivi sighed and leaned her face into his chest, absentmindedly kissing him. “I mean, it’s sooner than we planned. I just…” She wasn’t sure how to phrase her thought, but thankfully, Tony seemed to have his Husband Radar in proper working order that night.

“You just… don’t want me to be freaked out?” He chuckled at the thought and scooted down to face her. “Vivi, I’m scared to death! I’m not going to lie about that, but it’s not like we were totally clueless about this being a possibility. During our honeymoon, I said that it was fine to take the chance, and I don’t regret it. We’ve been together for three years - it’s not like we have any reason to wait.”

Vivi’s eyebrows shot up at his words. Tony was amazing, and she loved everything about him, but things like this always surprised her; especially since he was hesitant to even say the words “I love you” for the first year they were together.

“I know. I’m scared, too. If I take that test and it’s positive, it just makes it real. Then going to the doctor, and…” She stopped herself and laughed at the amusement on his face. “Alright, let’s try to sleep, and we’ll take this thing tomorrow.”

Their sleep was far from restful, and as soon as the alarm went off at 5 a.m., Vivi headed for the bathroom, test in hand.

Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed as she emerged. “So?”

“Uh… now, we wait.”

“For how long?!”

“Three minutes.” She sat down next to him, the timer on her phone glaring up at them. When it finally sounded, they stared at each other for a moment before walking into the bathroom together. Vivi took a deep breath, turned to Tony, and said, “You look. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“I… Uh, okay.”

“The guide is on the back of the box.” She stood there with one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach.

Tony double- and triple-checked what he was seeing before turning toward Vivi.

“Am I?”

Tony nodded and cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

Tears welled-up in her eyes as she brought both hands to her mouth. “Tony, we-” As the tears began to spill over, she couldn’t help but start laughing.

“Yeah, parents.” He pulled her tight to his chest, a grin spreading over his face as reality sunk in.

After the positive test result, Vivi was able to make an appointment with her OB/GYN to confirm the Monday after Thanksgiving.

“Tony,” Vivi whispered his name and placed a hand on his continuously bouncing knee. He had been fidgeting since they walked in and it was driving her crazy.

“Vivienne?” A nurse called out into the tiny waiting room.

“Yep.” Vivi stood and pulled Tony along behind her.

“Take this into the bathroom and you can leave it on the sink when you’re done. You’ll be in room 4.”

Vivi left Tony in the hallway while she peed in the cup for the pregnancy test. When she came out, they made their way to the room and were met by the nurse a few minutes later.

“Well, you definitely are pregnant.” The nurse smiled. “I’m going to get your blood pressure and some basic history. You can change into the gown, and then Dr. Allen will be in.”

“You okay?” Vivi nudged Tony’s knee with her foot.

“Yeah.” He shrugged and gave her a smile.

“I’m nervous too.” She grinned back and winked as the doctor came into the room.

“Hi!” She smiled as she came into the room.

“Hi.” Vivi smiled. “Dr. Allen, this is my husband Tony.”

“Nice to meet you.” Tony shook her hand and shifted over to Vivi’s left side out of the way.

“So, first baby! How’re you feeling?” She picked up Vivi’s chart and scanned through the details the nurse had collected.

“Uh, still pretty nauseous throughout the day and tired.”

“Okay, well you are getting close to the second trimester and, for most women, that settles down and some energy comes back.” She sat on a stool next to the sonogram and instructed Vivi to lie back. Once she found where she needed to be with the wand, she drew the couple’s attention to the image on the screen.

“Wow, that’s it?”

“Yep, that’s the baby and the fluttering there is the heartbeat. We’ll take a listen in a few minutes.” She typed a few more commands into the machine before capturing a still of the image.

“Alright, Mom and Dad! Looking at the measurements and your cycle, your estimated due date is July 7th, 2011!”

“Not too far off from your birthday, babe!” Vivi smiled at Tony, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Let’s take a listen now.” The doctor pulled out a smaller monitor and placed the wand on Vivi’s stomach. Switching it on, she moved it around a bit before the sound of the baby’s heartbeat was heard. “There we go. Sounds great!”

Vivi couldn’t hold her tears back anymore as the sound filled her ears. She felt Tony’s grip tighten on her hand and, when she glanced over, she saw the tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. She gave him a quick squeeze and he kissed her knuckles.

“Alright you two! I’ll have copies of the sonogram at the desk for you. I’ll want to see you around twelve weeks from now for a follow up and then again around eighteen.” The doctor smiled as she jotted a few more notes on Vivi’s chart. “Congratulations again! I’m so excited for you!”

“Thank you.” Vivi smiled as the doctor left the room.

They decided to wait until Vivi safely entered her second trimester before telling anyone about the baby. The rate of loss was lower and it gave them the holidays to really let it all sink in.

Christmas was spent with their friends and family at Vivi’s grandparent’s house. Judy had insisted that Vivi and Tony invite the whole team to Christmas dinner; they were family. It was really hard to keep the pregnancy news under wraps, but Vivi wanted to wait until after the New Year to tell anyone.

It took some time to decide how they were going to announce their news to everyone. Vivi wasn’t really a fan of making it into a party or anything like that. They finally planned to make the announcement on New Year’s Day.

Tony walked into the office on January first with a small picture frame in his hand. Two months ago, he had put one of his wedding photos on his desk. This new frame quickly caught Ziva and McGee’s attention; especially because he couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off of his face after he placed it there.

Tony stepped out around lunchtime. Curious as to what the new picture could possibly be, McGee and Ziva decided to check it out.

“Oh my god is that?” Ziva started when Abby came into the squad room.

“What are you guys doing at Tony’s desk?” She tried to see what McGee was holding. “What is that?”

“What’s what?” Tony’s voice came from behind them, Vivi walking beside him. “Why are you snooping around my desk?”

“We weren’t snooping.”

“Oh really, McNosy? Then why is my new picture in your hands?”

Ziva took it from him and placed it back on the desk, but Abby caught a glimpse of what it was and snapped it back up. “Wait, is this…?” She looked back up at Vivi and Tony, both with grins on their faces. That’s when she noticed the words “Mama Bear” printed on Vivi’s shirt.

“Ouch!” McGee exclaimed as Abby smacked his arm.

“Don’t you see what this is?! Vivi’s shirt, too! You guys…” She was close to yelling at this point. “They’re having a baby!” She bounced over and pulled them both into a hug.

“What’s going on?” Ducky asked Ziva as he and Gibbs walked in.

Gibbs saw Vivi’s shirt when Abby stepped away and chuckled quietly. “They’re having a baby!” Abby exclaimed as she wrapped Gibbs in a hug, excitement pulsing through her.

“Oh, how marvelous! Congratulations!” Ducky hugged them both.

“Thanks, everyone.” Vivi’s face hurt from smiling. “He or she is due in early July.”

“Ooh, a honeymoon baby, huh?” McGee grinned after some quick mental math, earning giggles from Abby and Ducky.

“Stuff it, McUncle! Or you change the first diaper!” Tony jokingly pointed in Tim’s direction.

Vivi’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah, this is a honeymoon baby, Tim.”

“Ooh, so you guys had a really good time!” Abby grinned, giving them a wink.

After a few more congratulations, everyone began to drift back to work. Tony and Vivi were just about to walk down to their car when Gibbs joined them in the elevator.

“You two work quick.” He had the biggest smile either of them had ever seen, and it surprised them.

“Ha! Well, you know…” Tony smirked and gave a shrug.

“Tony!” Vivi’s mouth fell open at his comment.

“What?! He’s not wrong! I mean, come on!”

“DiNozzo, you better watch it. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve pissed off your pregnant wife.” Gibbs gave Vivi a wink, followed by a slap to the back of Tony’s head.

“Hey!”

“You two will be great. Congratulations.” He gave Vivi a tight hug and shook DiNozzo’s hand as they stepped off of the elevator. Gibbs was filled with a sense of pride as he watched DiNozzo walk Vivi out to her car.

“Meet you at Gran and Grandad’s later? After we called this morning, she’s been planning an epic dinner celebration,” Vivi laughed as she stood by her car.

“Oh! Is she making her famous meatloaf?”

“Of course! She’s knows you love it and she may have mentioned making a second one for us to take home.” Vivi laughed and pecked Tony on the lips before getting in the car. “Love you, see you in a while.”

“Love you too. Be careful.”


	10. Chapter 10

The second trimester felt like a cake walk! Vivi was no longer feeling nauseous and her energy levels felt normal again. The only difference was the slowly changing shape of her body as the baby grew.

Preparing for their first baby was a little overwhelming, considering the one bedroom apartment they were presently living in. The amount of stuff needed for such a small human being was unbelievable! Even after narrowing it down to basic needs, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Before gathering too much baby stuff, the couple looked carefully at their budget and decided to purchase a home. Once they found an area that was in their range, it didn’t take long for them to find a home that they fell in love with. The family that had moved out was ready to make quick work of the sale and took the couple’s first offer. They remembered when they had been new parents and moved into this house 30 years earlier, how stressful it could be.

With the help of friends, Tony and Vivi were able to get everything packed and ready to move in about a month. The unpacking was a different story. Trying to figure out where they wanted everything to go was a bit of a process. But, it was getting there, and they could really start to focus on setting up the nursery.

Setting up the nursery was more of a challenge than anticipated. They weren’t prepared for the sheer volume of choices out there. Picking furniture for their child that was safe and aesthetically pleasing was tough; Vivi spent hours looking for the perfect set.

Vivi called Tony from the office in the back of the shop one afternoon while browsing some baby furniture.

“Hey honey. You okay?”

“Babe, I really don’t know what I want to get. Nothing is really standing out to me that isn’t stupid expensive.”

“Well, hello to you too!” Tony chuckled. “Which one are you looking at right now that you like?”

“Sorry, hi.” He could hear her rolling her eyes at him through the phone. “That really pretty, light wood set I saw on Pinterest.”

“I can’t remember which one that is, can you email it to me?”

“Yeah.” She quickly sent the link to him before going back to her Pinterest tab of nursery ideas.

“Okay, I’ll look at it, but bossman is coming back so I’ve gotta go.”

“Alright, love you.”

“Love you too.” Putting the receiver down, Tony turned his attention back to the case that they were in the midst of. After going over the latest findings, Tony went to pull up what he thought were bank records to the plasma screen. However, the site with the baby furniture appeared instead.

“DiNozzo, I don’t think baby furniture is going to help us examine the bank records of a dead petty officer.”

“Sorry, boss.” He quickly pulled up the right screen before continuing.

Gibbs divided up a series of tasks for the agents to complete. He walked up to Tony who was going through more personal records trying to find additional pieces to their puzzle. “Hey, pull that page up again.”

“The bank records?”

“No. The baby stuff.” He leaned over Tony’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, we’re just trying to figure this out so we can get something. She really loves this one, but it’s so expensive and-”

“I could make that.”

“What?” Tony wasn’t quite sure he’d heard him correctly.

“I can make that for you.”

“Really, boss? You’d do that for us?”

“Yeah.” He patted Tony on the shoulder. “Consider it my gift to you guys for the baby.”

“Oh wow, Vivi is gonna flip!”

“Let’s keep it between us for now, it can be a nice surprise for her.” Gibbs returned to his own desk. “Did you guys find out what you’re having yet?”

“Not yet. We have that appointment tomorrow and they should be able to tell us. You think we’ll have this wrapped up?”

“I’ll make sure you get there, DiNozzo,” Gibbs promised as he left his desk and headed towards Abby’s lab.

Gibbs made good on his promise and Tony was able to make it to the doctor’s office, meeting Vivi in the parking lot.

“Hey, babe.” Lacing her fingers together with his, she stole a quick kiss before they walked into the building.

After signing in, they sat in the small waiting room with a few other people waiting to be called back to an exam room. “Everything good? You don’t need to be back at a certain time do you?”

“No, we’re good. Gibbs just said to get back when I could.” He gave her hand a squeeze and kissed the top of her head as she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

“Vivienne?” The nurse stood at the doorway of the exam area. “Dr. Allen is ready for you.”

The nurse led them to a room and left them to wait quietly for the doctor. “You nervous?” Vivi asked as she watched Tony’s leg bounce as he sat in the chair next to the exam table.

“Yeah, just ready to find out.”

“Me too.” Vivi leaned over on the exam table to give him a quick kiss. As she sat back up, a quick knock came at the door.

“Hello there, how are we doing?” Dr. Allen walked in, a smile on her face. “So, how have you been feeling?”

“I’m feeling pretty good. A little tired, but we’re still unpacking the new house.”

“Ah, well make sure you aren’t the one doing any heavy lifting. All light stuff for you!” She wrote a few notes down in Vivi’s chart. “Okay, first let’s take a listen to baby’s heart and then we’ll get a look and see if we’re having a boy or a girl.”

The small wand of the heart monitor moved over Vivi’s belly, quickly finding a strong and steady heartbeat. The sound made Vivi tear up every time she heard it. She reached out for Tony’s hand, giving it a squeeze as he moved his chair closer.

“Sounds great!” Dr. Allen smiled. “Alright, let’s take a peek.” She pulled the ultrasound machine around so they could see clearly. She started by looking the baby over from head to toe ensuring that things looked good and on target for this stage of pregnancy. “Any thoughts of what you might be having before we look?”

“Uh, no, not really. I mean we’ve had a couple people who have said a boy.” Vivi shrugged. Of course they had visions of what their baby would be like, but when it came down to it, they just wanted a healthy baby.

Dr. Allen laughed. “Okay, well then, let’s see.” Moving down the length of the baby, she was able to focus in and mark what she was looking for. Freezing the screen, she typed across the top of the ultrasound “IT’S A GIRL” in all capitals. “Congratulations! You are having a little girl!”

Vivi’s hand came up to her mouth as she squeezed Tony’s with the other. Her tears were freely falling as the news washed over her.

“I’ll go and print this off for you and then I’ll take some quick measurements before you go.”

“Okay, thanks,” Vivi said quietly as she continued to stare at the ultrasound. “Tony, we’re having a girl!” She turned and saw the tears that were also in his eyes.

When she gave his hand a tug, he stood and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her softly. “Wow, it’s kind of weird right?”

“What do you mean?” Vivi pulled back to look up at him.

“I don’t know, it’s just so real now. We know it’s a girl, we can give her a name, and I mean we’re halfway there, right?”

“Yeah, just about.” She smiled as she turned back to the screen, Tony’s arms still around her.

After everything was finished, Vivi made her remaining appointments and followed Tony back out to the parking lot. “I’ve got to get back to the office. Do you want to stop by so we can tell everyone?” Tony pulled her as close as he could with her growing belly between them.

“Yeah. You think Gibbs will be okay with it?”

“Eh!” Tony brushed the thought off with a wave of his hand. “He wanted to know yesterday if we found out, he’ll be okay with it.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you over there then.” Vivi pulled him down for a soft kiss before she climbed into her car.

They were all smiles and had even started throwing around a few names as they rode the elevator up to the squad room. Stepping off, Tony grasped Vivi’s hand, pulling her behind him. “Alright listen up, everybody, listen up! Big DiNozzo baby news!”

“McGee, you better call Abby and Ducky up here for this,” Gibbs ordered.

“Got it, boss.”

Abby came racing to them with Ducky hot on her heels. “Did I miss the news?!”

“No, but Tony is about ready to explode with it.” Vivi chuckled as she watched the pure joy radiate from him.

“Okay, big news, exciting news!” He moved to stand behind Vivi and placed a hand on her belly. “Baby DiNozzo is healthy and A GIRL!” He practically shouted the last part and the cheers and congratulations of the others followed.

“Oh, oh! You know what this means?!” Abby held onto Vivi tightly. “We can start planning your baby shower!”

Laughing, Vivi nodded. “Definitely. I will get you, Gran, and Naomi together. They’ve been dying to get started on the planning.”

Abby, Judy, and Naomi started planning the baby shower as soon as Vivi gave them each other’s contact information. They had decided on the first weekend in May and it would be held at Naomi’s home. Vivi had offered to help, but they promised her that they had it covered and she and Tony just needed to show up.

The only question they had, that Vivi and Tony hadn’t been able to answer, was what they were going to name the baby. It was a tougher decision than they anticipated.

“I really think that this was just a waste of money.” Vivi tossed the baby name book onto the coffee table as she sat down with Tony on the couch. “There are just too many options in there.”

“What about the ones you wrote down the other day?” Tony pulled her feet up into his lap and began to massage them.

“Um…” She leaned her head back, eyes closed as she tried to remember what he was talking about. Pregnancy brain was no joke. She could barely remember what she did at work that morning.

“The one on the packing slip you had to take back to file at the store this morning.”

“Oh yeah that list.” She laughed remembering the look on Naomi’s face when she pointed out the fresh pad of sticky notes that had been lying next to the packing slip. “Uh, well, really the only name I still like on that one is Sophia.”

Tony agreed. That had been one he’d really liked too.

“Hey, remember what we talked about the other day? Naming her after-”

“Kate, yeah I remember.” A glint of sadness came into his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by amusement as he imagined what her reaction would be if she knew he was naming his daughter after her. Hell, she’d be amused at the fact that he had gotten married to begin with let alone becoming a dad!

“Caitlin Sophia DiNozzo.” Vivi smiled as she placed a hand over her belly.

“I like the sound of it.” Tony nodded. “How about you peanut?” Tony leaned over to place his hands on Vivi’s belly. “Should we call you Caitlin?”

Vivi reached and moved his hand to where she had been kicking. “Ask her again.” It always amazed Vivi when she would kick now when she heard Tony’s voice.

“Okay, how about Kate? Do you like that name?” Right on cue, there was a small kick beneath his palm.

Vivi laughed. “I think Kate is a go!” Leaning forward as best she could, she pecked a kiss to Tony’s lips as he met her halfway.

The afternoon of the shower, the couple arrived at Naomi’s and were quickly pulled into hugs from Abby as she settled Vivi comfortably in a chair. “Hey, don’t you have to go meet Gibbs?” Abby pointed at Tony.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot!”

“Meet him for what?” Vivi didn’t recall him getting a message or anything that morning.

“Something at his house he needs a hand with before he comes over here.” Tony shrugged. “I’ll be back before you open anything, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed her sweetly before heading back out.

Vivi arched her eyebrow and turned to Abby. “Do you know what that was all about?”

She did, but just shrugged. “It’s Gibbs, who knows. What can I get you to drink?”

“Abby I can get it.” Vivi went to stand up.

“No, no let me do it!” She gently pushed her back into the chair.

Vivi wasn’t going to say that she hated this whole being waited on thing. “Okay, just some water is fine.” Relaxing back into the chair, she chatted with a few of her friends that had just walked in.

Tony arrived back at their house with Gibbs waiting out front with his truck. “What the hell took so long, DiNozzo?”

“Sorry, boss.” He quickly went to open their front door before returning to help move the furniture Gibbs had handmade for little Kate. “Baby brain?” He shrugged.

Gibbs rounded the truck and slapped the back of Tony’s head. “Dads don’t get to use that excuse, Tony.”

Tony grunted at the impact. “Okay, okay!”

“But, since you’re a first time dad, I’ll let it slide.” Gibbs grinned and laughed as Tony’s shoulders went slack.

It took them about a half hour to get everything into the house and up into the nursery. They arranged everything just the way Vivi had described it to Tony one evening. “Boss, this is beautiful. She’s going to love it!” Tony smiled as he lightly ran his hand over the rail of the crib.

Stepping back, Gibbs glanced around the room. Resting against the closet door, a white frame caught his attention. It had the initials C.S.D in purple lettering. His heart clenched as his mind processed what this little girl’s name could be. 

“Well, at least now she won’t try call the company she thinks I ordered the furniture from and rip their hearts out. I keep telling her that it’s on backorder.”

Gibbs shook his head. “She’s believed that without any proof?”

“Eh, I guess not, but it’s all here now. I really can’t thank you enough for doing this. It’s great!”

Gibbs slung his arm over Tony’s shoulder. “I was happy to. Now, let’s get over to that shower before we get into trouble.”

The shower was wonderful! It was relatively small, only inviting the team, Vivi’s grandparents, and a few other friends Naomi and Vivi knew through the shop.

They received several things that they had registered for, along with some things that others thought were cute or that the parents would like for their little girl.

Around 4 that afternoon, things had wound down and most of the guests had left. Naomi, the NCIS family, Judy, and Ed were all that remained.

“So, have you chosen a name yet?” Ducky looked between Vivi and Tony.

“Ooh, yes have you?!” Abby had tried to press Tony for the information earlier in the week, but he’d remained tight lipped.

Vivi took a deep breath and reached out for Tony’s hand. “We have. It was not an easy decision.”

Tony glanced down at their joined hands before looking up to his team. “We had quite a list going on for a while.” He smiled softly. “One name jumped out at me right away and I mentioned it to Vivi. I wasn’t 100%, so we sat on it for a while.”

“We actually decided on her middle name first. I had made a list at work one day and there was one on there that I couldn’t shake. Once we had that, it just fit with the name we’d been hanging onto.”

“Must be some name! Don’t keep us in suspense guys!” Abby leaned forward in her seat.

Tony laughed nervously. Surprisingly, he was having a really hard time sharing this. He was worried that he was going to bring up the pain of losing Kate all over again for those who had been there. “Her name is Caitlin Sophia DiNozzo. We’ll be calling her-”

“Kate.” Gibbs finished Tony’s sentence.

There was a beat of silence before Ducky spoke. “It’s a beautiful name.”

Abby had some tears in her eyes. “It really is! She would love this.”

“Ha! I don’t know about that!” Tony laughed.

“Yeah, I think there would be more shock at the idea of you being married and having a kid,” Tim added.

“Yeah you’re probably right, McGee.” Tony’s smiled widened. “She’d be pretty stunned that I’ve settled down.”

“I think she would love it.” Gibbs placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

The group chatted a little while longer before Vivi had to excuse herself for what felt like her millionth bathroom trip that day. “Babe? You ready to get going? I’m exhausted.”

“Yep.” Tony stood and wrapped her in his arms. “Gibbs is going to help us get all this stuff home.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Vivi stepped away to give hugs to Abby and Naomi. “This was wonderful! Thank you so much for putting this together for us.”

“We were more than happy to do it! Now go home and you and little Kate get some rest.” Naomi pulled her into a tight hug.

“Gran? Are you and Grandad coming to the house?”

“We’ll be right behind you!” Judy pecked her cheek. Tony had told them about the furniture being made by Gibbs, and they had yet to see it for themselves.

“We have all the leftovers anyway!” Ed chimed in. “I’ll sell ‘em to you at a real fair price.” He chuckled as Vivi rolled her eyes at him and Judy slapped his arm.

Tony and Gibbs were grabbing the larger items and bringing them inside. Vivi stopped at the bottom of the steps before they went back out. “Let’s bring all the bags with clothes and stuff upstairs. It’s not like we have furniture yet to get in the way.”

“Okay.” Tony tried to keep a straight face as he watched her walk up the steps. Grinning he looked to Gibbs as they waited for her to enter the nursery.

“Tony!!!” Vivi called as she moved back to the top of the steps.

“Yes dear?” He grinned up at her.

“Did you know about the furniture?! Did you know that it was coming today?!”

“Well, yeah.” He jogged up the stairs, stopping when he was eye level with her.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been stressing out about this damn furniture for weeks!”

“I know.” He softly kissed her lips. “But, you can’t rush perfection and, well, Boss here is a perfectionist.” He thumbed at Gibbs who was just behind him on the stairs with Ed and Judy.

“What? That’s not from-”

“Nope. It’s a gift from Uncle Gibbs.” Tony placed his hands on her belly.

“Seriously?! I didn’t even-” Before she completed the thought she returned to the nursery and was really looking at the furniture. “Oh. My. God. This is incredible!” She turned as they walked into the room. “Gibbs you really did this for us?!”

“Yeah. Store bought furniture is garbage, this stuff will last.” He ran a hand over the dresser next to him.

“I just, I can’t believe-” Vivi dissolved into tears as she hugged him. “Thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.” He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back. “Now, you two get settled and get you some rest.” He stepped back from Vivi and ran a thumb over the tears that had streamed down her cheeks.

“Thanks, boss.” Tony pulled Vivi close to his side as Gibbs gave them a wave and headed down the steps.

“I can’t believe he did this! Tony, this is amazing!” Gibbs smiled as walked out the door, his heart full as he watched his family growing before him. “Gran! Can you believe this?”

“It’s beautiful, sweetheart.” Judy hugged Vivi tightly as tears collected in her eyes. “Alright, we do need to go and let you get some rest. It’s been a very busy day! Let me go make sure your Grandad hasn’t tried to take some of these leftovers with him.”

“Ha ha, okay! Yeah I’m pretty tired.” Vivi followed Judy and Tony downstairs.

“Ed! Will you put the egg salad back in the fridge please? I will make more this week!” Judy shook her head and dragged him out of the kitchen. “You would think I never feed him!”

“Bye Grandad.” Vivi kissed him on the cheek as he followed Judy to the front door. “Oh,” Vivi sighed as she sat on the couch.

“You okay?”

“I’m wonderful! How did we end up with such a great group of family and friends?”

Tony sat down next to her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “I don’t know, but Kate’s a lucky little girl that’s for sure!”

They sat there quietly for a moment and both almost dozed off before Vivi remembered something she meant to tell Tony earlier. “Oh! I almost forgot!”

Tony snorted as her exclamation pulled him from the brink of sleep. “What?!”

“Your dad called this morning.”

“Senior? Called?”

“Yeah.” Vivi yawned. “He said that he was going to try and come visit us sometime next week. He has a gift for the baby.”

“Huh?!” Tony wasn’t sure what he was more surprised about. Senior calling ahead before visiting or that he remembered they were having a baby. “Well, I guess becoming a grandfather changes some people.”

“Maybe. Better late than never.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for some mild description of labor and delivery.

Mid-July was not a friendly month at 41-weeks of pregnancy. Vivi was miserable, and all the tips and tricks from her doctor, friends, and family didn’t seem to be bringing little Kate into the world any faster. 

Working for Naomi, she was able to work from home and take things slow the closer she got to her due date. But, at the insistence of her doctor and Tony, she had officially started her maternity leave two weeks ago.

Vivi was frustrated not working and Naomi was ready to stop answering her calls. “The store is fine, I’m fine! You need to take care of you and get ready for Kate to arrive.” She chuckled. “Seriously, the next time you call, unless it’s preceded by a text that your water broke, I’m not answering.”

“Fine, I’m just going crazy waiting! It’s hot and I feel like crap!”

“I know. I’m sorry, hon. I thought you were having lunch with Tony today?”

“I am, but not for another couple of hours.” Sighing heavily, she placed a hand on her belly. “Well, if you’re sure you don’t need me to do anything…”

“Nope, you need to try and relax and enjoy lunch with your husband! Not too many solo lunches left for you two!”

“Yeah, I guess not. I’ll talk to you later then.”

“Vivi, seriously! Only if you go into labor!”

“Okay, bye, Naomi.”

Setting her phone down on the dresser, Vivi puttered around the nursery, trying to keep busy. When she ran out of things to put away or rearrange, she went and changed out of her pajamas to go and meet Tony. Getting dressed the last couple of weeks had been a challenge. It was incredibly hot and it was difficult to find something that made the midday heat bearable.

She caught a few stares on her way into NCIS, but she shrugged it off knowing her belly and the waddle that accompanied it were hard to ignore. She exited the elevator as quickly as her body would allow and headed for Tony’s desk.

“Hey, babe.” Tony beamed as he saw her approaching. He stood and kissed her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, his other hand resting on her belly.

“Hey.” She exhaled with a small smile. “Hey Ziva, McGee—“She nodded to the other agents. “Babe, do you mind if I sit?” She pointed to his chair.

“Oh yeah, here.” He pulled the chair back for Vivi, pausing as he took in what she was wearing. “Honey.” He crouched down next to her trying his best to look very sweetly into her eyes. “Is that really what you decided to wear today?”

Vivi looked down at her heavily pregnant body. She had on a long maxi skirt and one of her pre-pregnancy tank tops that left a portion of her lower belly uncovered. “What’s wrong with what I have on?” Her eyes narrowed at Tony, drawing the attention of McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs, who was slowly approaching his desk.

“Well, babe, it just doesn’t really seem…” He toyed with the hem of her top, inferring her belly showing was the problem.

“What Tony? It doesn’t seem what? Appropriate?!” She brushed his hand off of her. “It is 100 degrees outside, I am a week late having this baby, and you are worried about a little bit of my stomach showing?!”

He didn’t have any words for Vivi and just looked down at the floor for a moment. Lifting his head, he opened his mouth right as he received a slap to the back of the head. With a grunt, he turned and saw Gibbs standing over him. “Boss?” He straightened up to face him.

“First, don’t ever insult your wife. Second, you especially don’t insult her when she’s about to have your child.” He punctuated with a second slap to the head.

“Thank you, Gibbs.” Vivi smiled right as she smacked the back of Tony’s leg.

“Hey!” He knelt back down, lightly rubbing his hands along her thighs. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t feel great. I don’t know why I said that. Did you have to smack me though?”

“Oh, if I could, I would do more than that right now.” Her brain to mouth filter was non existent at this level of discomfort, and she was sure it would only get worse when labor started.

“Guys? Help me out here!” He looked around not sure how to dig himself out of the hole he’d dug.

“Tony, we wouldn’t stop her if she tried to kill you right now.” Ziva threw Vivi a wink.

“Ha ha, very funny, she’s not going to kill me.” He stood and held out his hand to help Vivi from the chair. “You aren’t going to kill me are you?” He whispered in her ear.

“Don’t tempt me, Tony.” She poked her finger into his chest before she walked towards the elevator.

After returning to the office, Vivi hung around for a few more minutes, because the workload at NCIS was still relatively light. Ducky and Abby had joined them and were trying to offer their support to a very uncomfortable Vivi.

“I feel like we’ve done any and everything that people have suggested,” Vivi sighed, feeling very defeated. “All I keep having are the Braxton Hicks contractions every so often.”

“Have you tried intercourse?” Ducky very seriously inquired.

Tony and Vivi looked at each other flushing. “Uh-well no, that was kind of last on my list at this point,” Vivi stated.

“I said we should have started with that.” Tony tilted his head at Vivi.

“Hey!” She pointed at him. “No uterus, no opinion on what you think we should do!”

“She’s right, Tony.” Abby put a comforting arm around Vivi’s shoulders.

“Well, I hate to butt in on this my dear,” Ducky addressed Vivi, “but, intercourse has been proven to start labor for many women and would be worth trying.” 

Vivi sighed and looked at Tony again. “We’ll see. It’s just so goddamn hot out, and I know this is way too much information, but I feel very unsexy and sweaty right now.”

“I think you look super hot!” A childlike grin spread over Tony’s face.

“Okay, I think that maybe this is a more personal conversation than we need to hear.” McGee went back to his desk. The other agents agreed, and the conversation wound down as they slowly got back to work.

Tony walked Vivi down to the lobby and held her as closely as he could. “Go home and rest.”

“I’ll try. What time do you think you’ll be home?”

“Probably around 6, maybe earlier.”

“Okay, will you grab some takeout on your way home? I don’t really care what.”

“Yeah. If you change your mind and want something specific, let me know.”

Vivi nodded. “I will. I’ll see you in a little while.” She pecked his lips and headed out to the parking lot.

Vivi didn’t have much of an appetite that evening, but she had been thinking about Ducky’s suggestion and, at this point, what did they have to lose if she wasn’t going into labor on her own?

It took cranking the air conditioning to arctic levels for Vivi to get comfortable enough for her to even consider letting Tony touch her. Truthfully, it wasn’t the best sex they’d ever had, but it wasn’t the worst either. Tony really tried to make sure that he focused on what would make her feel good and forget about her discomfort for a while, but the frustration was hard to shake when all either of them really wanted at this point was for labor to start and for little Kate to be here.

Propping herself up against the pillows she had stacked against their headboard and the sheets down at her hips, Vivi laid her hands on her belly. “Come on kiddo, it’s not so bad out here. You can come on any time now.”

Tony placed a hand over hers. “We go to the doctor again tomorrow right?”

“Yeah, if nothing is happening, she’ll schedule the induction.”

He nodded, remembering the last visit and the conversation about inducing labor seemed like a very real possibility if changes didn’t start happening on their own. “Let’s try and get some sleep. Everything is ready to go, we’re just waiting on her.”

Vivi sighed as she pulled the sheet up a little and adjusted as best she could. “Yep, everything is down by the door and some is already in the car.”

Tony settled down next to her, wishing he could do more to make her comfortable. He kept his hand on her belly as he dozed off.

The next morning, after a fitful night of sleep, it started. Vivi was up puttering around in the kitchen while Tony was still sleeping and a contraction different from what she’d experienced came and went in less than a minute. About an hour passed and another one caused her to pause in the hallway outside of their bedroom.

Tony was walking out of their bedroom when he saw Vivi standing in the hall. “Hey, are you okay?” He moved instantly to her side.

“Uh yeah, they aren’t that bad right now, but different. This has to be the real deal!” There was an excitement in her voice as she looked at Tony’s worried expression.

“Okay, so what do we do now?”

“Well this is only the second one in about an hour, so we have some time.”

Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. “Well, let me call Gibbs and tell him what’s going on. I can just stay-”

Vivi held her hand up stopping him. “Tony, go in and get some work done. This part is going to take a while. It’ll be at least six hours before we need to go to the hospital.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If I need you before that, I’ll call you. You know Gibbs will let you come home.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Sighing, he gave her a quick kiss before retreating to the bathroom to get ready for work.

Vivi was back down in the kitchen, eating some yogurt, when Tony came downstairs, still unsure if he should go in. “Any more?”

“Nope, not yet.”

“Okay, well I’m going to put the bags in the car now.”

“Yeah, then I can just get in the car.”

“Okay.” He looked around for a minute, grasping for reasons to stay home. “Okay, I’ll do that and you’ll call me.”

“Yes, I’ll call you.” Vivi was nervous too, but she also felt this strange calm at the moment, so she was going to use it to her advantage and try to get another nap in and keep hydrated before everything really clicked on.

With a quick kiss, Tony grabbed the bags and headed for NCIS.

Tony couldn’t focus. Even with the new case in front of him, he was way out in left field. He had hoped that keeping busy would take his mind off of Vivi, but his heart just wasn’t there.

“DiNozzo!” Gibbs had been keeping his eye on Tony all morning after he told him Vivi had started labor. He remembered his own fear when Kelly was born, but also knew how long it was going to take. “Hey, DiNozzo!” He punctuated with a slap to the back of Tony’s head.

“Yeah boss, sorry!” He pulled his eyes away from his phone.

“Tony, you good?”

“Uh…yeah, she hasn’t called me yet.” He looked back at his phone. “Maybe I should call and check on her?” He looked up at Gibbs for confirmation if that’s what he should do.

“Do what you need to do, Tony.”

Vivi picked up on the second ring and sounded a little breathless but was able to talk. The contractions were every half hour or so and more painful, but, since she was able to talk, they still had some time. She had put a movie on and was trying to relax as much as she could between them.

As soon as he hung up, Tony tried to refocus on his next set of tasks and was successful in doing so over the next several hours.

It was about 7 p.m. when his phone rang as he observed Gibbs in interrogation with McGee and Ziva flanking him. “Vivi? You okay?”

“Tony, they’re about 5 minutes apart now and it’s been like that for the last half hour. I think you should come home.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.” He tucked his phone back in his pocket but froze instantly. Gibbs was in interrogation, and you never ever interrupted him in interrogation. He looked to Ziva and McGee who just shrugged, not really giving him much assurance.

“Good luck, Tony!” McGee called at the last minute as Tony left the observation room and ran right into interrogation.

“Boss! I’m sorry but-” Tony started.

As soon as Gibbs saw his face, he knew. “Go, DiNozzo!” Normally he would’ve been fuming from the interruption, but this was one instance he could excuse.

“Thanks, boss!” Tony called as he raced back up to his desk for his keys and bag.

As soon as he pulled up to the house, Vivi was walking out the front door. He met her halfway and she held onto him tightly as another contraction started. These were much different, and she struggled to talk at all. After it passed, they loaded into the car, and Tony drove as quickly as he could to get them safely to the hospital.

Once they were checked in and settled in a room, their nurse for the evening came to examine Vivi. She was dilated to six centimeters and things were moving forward. When the nurse offered pain management options, Vivi declined. She had been preparing with Tony’s support to go through this as naturally as she could.

Another contraction came as the nurse left, and Tony stood behind her, rubbing her back.

“I want to walk for a bit.” Vivi grabbed Tony’s hand as she slid off of the bed and into the pair of slippers she’d brought with her.

They walked a couple of laps around the unit, stopping with each contraction as Vivi braced herself against Tony. Her hands gripped his shoulders and she rested her forehead against his chest as he gently guided her through her breathing.

Back in the room, Vivi sat in the rocking chair for a little bit while Tony made calls to update their friends on her progress. The nurse came back in to check her and she had moved along another centimeter. Since her water still had not broken, the nurse suggested that she take a warm shower.

“Is that what you want to do?” Tony was standing by the side of the bed.

Vivi nodded and moved her legs over the side. She stopped with the next contraction and gripped Tony’s shirt at his waist as she tried to breathe through it. It was becoming harder and harder to keep her breathing focused, and there was more grunting and groaning than actual soothing breaths with each contraction.

Tony followed her to the bathroom and helped her get situated under the warm water. He stayed close by and just sat there quietly as she let the water run over her tired body. “Tony?”

“Yeah?!” He moved closer to the shower stall.

“Talk to me.” Vivi leaned forward and grabbed the rail in the shower as she grunted her way through a contraction.

“About what?” This whole thing had him on edge and he didn’t want to screw it up.

“Ugh…anything Tony…ugh I just need to….agh…”

His mind raced to think of something to talk to her about. “Oh, so my favorite episode of Magnum came on the other day.”

“Oh Christ…” Vivi muttered. “Tony! Anything but Magnum P.I. please!”

He had to stop himself from balking. “Okay, did I tell you about the super glue?”

Grunting as another contraction began. “No…oh god.”

“Yeah, well little Timmy was a little sleepy the last all nighter we pulled, and, well, I was bored. So, I put a little bit of the glue next to his face and as soon as he shifted…stuck!”

Vivi started to laugh as her last contraction faded. “You two are ridiculous! I don’t understand how neither of you haven’t been-” She stopped talking suddenly.

“Vivi?”

Vivi reached forward and turned off the shower. “Tony, my water just broke.

Grabbing a towel he handed it to her and helped her step out and dry off. He guided her back to the bed and, after she settled as best she could, he called the nurse back in. Vivi was now at eight centimeters and the nurse estimated she would be ready to push in another hour or so.

The pain was worse now than Vivi thought it ever could be and she was ready to give up. Fortunately for her, Tony was a very good coach, and, despite all of his inner panic, he was able to do what she needed in the moment, whether that was lightly massaging her back, helping her switch positions, or letting her nearly crush his hands.

With her last several contractions, that were following within seconds of each other, she was shaking and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Tony felt helpless and wished he could do more to help her. A knock on the door pulled his attention away for a moment as Dr. Allen walked in.

“Hi guys.” Her voice was soft and gentle as she approached the end of the bed. “How’re you doing there?”

“I just want this to be over,” Vivi choked out as she took a breath before the next contraction.

“You’re almost there. Let’s get you situated so I can take a look.” She looked up at both of them, a smile on her face. “Are you feeling any pressure like you want to push?”

“It feels more like I need to go to the bathroom.”

“That’s the feeling we want. You ready to have your baby?”

Vivi sighed in relief and nodded as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. It was almost over.

“Okay, let me get us set and and we’ll get going.” Once everyone was in position, Vivi began pushing. They kept at a slow and steady pace for about forty-five minutes before the head was finally visible

Tony was entranced as he watched his daughter slowly making her way into view. He was snapped back to reality when Vivi released his hand as the doctor asked her if she wanted to reach down. It was so unreal as he watched his daughter come out and up onto Vivi’s chest.

Her small cries pierced the air. Vivi and Tony both had tears streaming down their faces as they tried to take in all of her.

Things moved quickly from there as they cleaned her off, Tony cut the cord, and they began to clean Vivi up and stitch the small tear she had sustained. They weighed little Kate in at 9 pounds 7 ounces, and, after taking the rest of her vitals, they placed her against Vivi’s skin.

The room cleared out for a little while, leaving the couple to sit and bond with their new baby. “Hey there.” Vivi smiled with some tears still falling as she gently kissed Kate’s head. “You sure took your time getting here, miss.”

Tony had moved to Vivi’s other side where Kate was facing, her cheek against her mother’s chest. “Are you going to be as stubborn as your namesake?” He couldn’t help but laugh as he imagined what Kate would say about this scene right now.

Sighing, Vivi leaned her head back against her pillows, relishing the feeling of her baby girl in her arms. She looked up when she felt Tony’s hand on her cheek.

“You did an amazing job, babe, she’s beautiful.” Leaning down, he kissed her lips softly before resting his forehead against hers. “I love you, Vivi.”

“I love you, too.”

Kate gave a small cry, bringing their attention back to her. “We love you too, Miss. Caitlin Sophia DiNozzo.” Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to her head. “Well, it’s after midnight, but I bet everyone is waiting to hear from us, huh?”

“Probably.” Vivi smiled down at Kate and then over to Tony as he excitedly called everyone to let them know little Kate DiNozzo was finally here.

“Hey, I guess this is kind of an early birthday present, huh?”

“Oh yeah, 3 days early, but it’s all I’m doing this year!” Vivi laughed as Kate snuggled into her at the sound.

“I’ll take it.” Tony sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Kate’s cheek with his finger. “Best early birthday present I’ve ever gotten.”


	12. Chapter 12

After a two and a half day stay at the hospital, Vivi and Tony were sent home with little Kate. The extra help from nurses was great, but Vivi was ready to be in her own space to heal and bond with Kate.

Vivi’s grandparents met them at the house. Ed and Judy carried the few bags they brought home upstairs when they walked in, and Vivi headed for the living room. Tony gently set the carseat on the floor while Vivi settled on the sofa. He gingerly lifted the sleeping newborn and placed her in Vivi’s arms. She held Kate close to her chest as she settled back.

“What do you need?” Tony watched as her eyes searched the living room.

“Uh, well I need that nursing pillow, and a huge glass of water would be amazing.”

Tony placed the pillow in her lap and sweetly kissed her lips and the top of Kate’s head before heading into the kitchen. When he returned, he placed the glass on the coffee table so Vivi could easily reach it. “You okay?” He sat at the end of the sofa, resting a hand on her outstretched legs.

“Yeah, she’s getting better at latching. It still takes a couple of tries on this side.” Once, Vivi had her settled and eating, she relaxed into the cushions and gazed down at Kate. She glanced up at Tony as he gave her calf a squeeze.

“You’re amazing you know that?” He was still in awe of his wife and the whole experience. Watching her with the daughter they’d created was the best feeling he’d ever experienced aside from meeting her and watching her walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

She chuckled quietly as she tried to fight back tears, her hormones making Tony’s sentiments affect her more than normal. “I love you, do you know that?”

“Yeah, well, DiNozzo men are hard to resist.” He shrugged, grinning as she laughed.

“Oh, speaking of DiNozzo men, did you call your dad?”

“I left a message, so I guess we’ll hear back from him whenever it’s convenient for him.” Tony huffed as he leaned back into the cushions, his hands idly massaging Vivi’s feet.

Tony’s relationship with his dad was complicated and, the longer they were together, the more Vivi realized it was a topic best left alone. She’d met Anthony DiNozzo Sr. after she and Tony had been dating for almost a year. He was a very charming man and treated them both very well, but, despite his attempts, it never seemed to make up for mistakes made when Tony was a child.

Vivi sighed wishing she could say or do something, but, in reality, it wasn’t their priority now. As Kate finished eating, she adjusted her top and tapped Tony’s leg with her foot. “Can you take her for a few? I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Yeah.” Tony sat up and held the dozing infant to his chest as he leaned back. It was so strange having this little human in his arms. He could already tell at three days old that she’d be able to get him to do just about anything for her, no question. Kissing the top of her head, he gently brushed his fingers over the little bit of light brown hair she had.

“Oh now if that isn’t the sweetest…Ed, where is my camera?” Judy whispered as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Returning from the bathroom, Vivi stopped next to her grandparents and grinned as she saw Tony, eyes closed, stretched out with Kate sleeping soundly on his chest. “Don’t worry Gran, I’ve got it!” She quietly picked up her phone from the coffee table and snapped a quick picture.

“Did you just take a picture of me?” Tony asked as he felt Vivi sit down next to him.

“I did.” She kissed the back of Kate’s head before planting one on Tony. “I sent it to you, it’s really sweet.”

Tony laughed quietly as he opened his eyes and looked down at his daughter. “You think she’ll be like this?”

“Calm and just hanging out?” Vivi raised her brows. “Yeah in our dreams! From other moms I’ve talked to and books I’ve read, we shouldn’t plan for anything.”

“She’ll be just like her mama!” Ed chuckled and pointed to VIvi. “Little sucker kept us up all hours of the night!”

“So we better enjoy this while it lasts, huh, Katie?” Tony whispered as he pressed his lips to her head again while Vivi rolled her eyes at her grandad.

“Enjoy all of it! It will go by faster than you think.” Judy leaned down and pressed a kiss to Kate’s head. “Your things are unpacked and away upstairs. Now, we are going to make dinner for you two tonight and then get out of your hair.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

“I’ve got a bunch of frozen stuff for you that I’m going to bring over tomorrow and stock your freezer. But right now, you two just relax in here. You especially,” she pointed at VIvi. “Off of your feet and nap while she’s with her Daddy and sleeping!”

It didn’t take long for both Vivi and Tony to doze off once they’d placed Kate into the pack ‘n’ play. By the time she was up for a diaper change, Ed and Judy had left with dinner keeping warm in the oven.

The quiet and calm didn’t last for very long. As the days passed, Kate became more active and alert. When she needed something, she let everyone on the block know; diapers and eating causing the biggest uproars.

Tony had taken off for about 4 weeks to stay home and help Vivi. They had a pretty good system going throughout the day, even when it seemed like Kate was determined to upend it. Vivi definitely needed the support too, since the last week Tony was home, at 6 every evening, Kate would start crying non-stop for at least an hour. Her diaper was changed, Vivi fed her, danced with her, rocked her, and they even tried driving around the block. But, nothing seemed to soothe her, and Vivi would cry just as hard out of frustration.

Tony started to feel anxious about returning to work and leaving Vivi alone, but he didn’t have a choice. Fortunately, what the pediatrician called colic, stopped as quickly as it started, baffling the exhausted new parents.

Vivi sat in bed nursing Kate while Tony got ready for his first day back. Buttoning his shirt, he sat on the edge of the bed and smiled sadly. “I’m going to miss you guys.”

Stroking the infant’s cheek, she smiled back at him. “We’re going to miss you too.” She sighed and watched Kate for a moment. “Actually I was thinking, once we’re both in some sort of routine, I’ll come by with lunch one day.”

A grin spread across Tony’s face. “I would love that, and I know everyone else would love to see Kate.”

Vivi chuckled as she shifted Kate to her lap and readjusted her shirt. “I know they will, and I know you’re dying to show her off too!”

“Yeah, true.” Tony grinned as he stood, tucking his shirt into his pants. “Come here, sweetie.” He gently scooped Kate off of the bed as Vivi climbed out of bed to head to the bathroom.

“Hey, be careful how much you bounce her she’s been…”

“Agh!”

“Spitting up lately.” Vivi chuckled as she came out of the bathroom with a towel. “How bad? Do you need to change?”

“Yeah.” He headed for the closet to find a new shirt. Vivi was settling back on the bed with Kate when he walked back towards them. “Alright, Katie, you be good for your Mommy while I’m gone.” He stayed a careful distance as he looked down, her blue eyes mirroring his as she looked up at him. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and met Vivi’s lips on his way up.

“Have a good day babe. We’ll see you tonight.” She tried to keep the sadness out of her voice.

“I will. I’ll call you later.” He gave one of her hands a squeeze as he gave her another kiss before reluctantly leaving.

Getting back into his routine at work wasn’t as difficult as he feared, especially with Gibbs’ well timed head slaps. He checked in with Vivi when he could and, as long as a case wasn’t occupying their time, he would get home just around dinner time each night. But, he couldn’t deny that it broke his heart to miss some of the little milestones each day.

Vivi took some time to get used to being home alone with Kate, but, after a few days, it started to feel more natural. They fell into a routine of feedings, changing, play time, and some short trips out to the doctor, store, or visits with Gran and Grandad. It was amazing to Vivi how much each day Kate seemed to change, how she would track things with her eyes, the coos and gurgles that she was starting to make when Vivi talked to her. What melted her heart the most was one afternoon when Tony called and she put him on speaker. Kate’s little face lit up as she tried to look around for where her Daddy’s voice was coming from. That settled the destination of their next outing: NCIS.

Little Kate had been nursed and changed before Vivi secured the sleeping infant in her carseat. She had called Tony earlier and made a quick stop to grab lunch on her way. After parking, she wrestled momentarily with the stroller before placing the carseat in its cradle. Obtaining her visitor pass, she boarded the elevator, surprised to find Gibbs in front of her.

“Well look who’s here.” He smiled and stepped to the side so Vivi could push the stroller on. “I was going to step out for some coffee, but I think I’ll ride up with you.” He pulled her into a quick hug. “How’s she doing?” He peeked into the carrier at the sleeping infant.

“She’s doing really good! I’m hoping she’ll wake up for everyone.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Gibbs chuckled.

“Oh, yeah. Well, honestly, she’ll probably wake up as soon as she hears Tony.” The elevator doors opened and Vivi guided the stroller out.

“I’ll be back.” Gibbs held up his empty cup as the elevator doors closed again.

Vivi turned her attention to the cluster of desks where Tony and the rest of his team were steadily working. She was a few feet away when Tony looked up.

“Hey!” Jumping from his chair he moved to Vivi’s side, giving her a kiss before leaning down to see Kate. “How long has she been asleep?”

“Oh, at least the last 45 minutes.” Vivi moved the stroller between Tony and McGee’s desks so it was out of the way. Pushing back the handle and hood of the stroller, she reached in and gingerly lifted Kate from the car seat.

As she turned to face him, Tony lifted Kate from her arms and moved to the middle of the group of desks. “Hi sweetie.” He smiled, as she opened her eyes with a yawn.

“I’ll call Abby and Ducky. They’ll be crushed if they don’t get to see her,” McGee stated.

“She’s getting so big!” Ziva gently tickled Kate’s belly as she moved over to the new parents.

“I hope so. She eats constantly!” Vivi laughed.

“She looks a lot like you, Tony,” McGee commented as he moved over to where everyone was standing.

Ziva laughed. “For her sake, I hope she starts to look more like Vivi.”

Vivi giggled. “Thanks Ziva, but she definitely has his eyes. I think she’ll be okay there.”

“Oh yay!!!” Came Abby’s excited voice as she came off of the elevator with Ducky. “I was hoping you would come by soon!” She wrapped Vivi in a tight hug. Turning to the hand sanitizer that was sitting on McGee’s desk, she pumped some into her hand. “Can I hold her?” She looked between Tony and Vivi.

“Definitely!” Vivi nodded to Tony who carefully placed her in Abby’s arms.

“Oh my gosh, you are so cute!” She gently rocked Kate who was staring curiously at her ‘Aunt Abby’.

“How are you feeling, my dear?” Ducky asked as he pulled Vivi into a hug.

“I’m feeling good! Had our six week check up last week and we’re both great!”

“Oh good!” He gave Vivi a squeeze before moving over to Abby. “She certainly is beautiful.”

“She is that, Duck.” Gibbs smiled as he returned from his coffee run.

They all chatted idly as Vivi pulled out the food she’d brought for everyone with her. “Oh, that’s so nice. Thanks, Vivi.” Ziva smiled as she helped her place things on everyone’s desks.

“Yeah, I figured if I was going to disrupt your day, I may as well feed you!”

“Thanks, babe.” Tony wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“You’re welcome.” She wrapped her arms around his waist as they watched their friends talk and coo over Kate.

“Abby, may I?” Ducky held his arms out.

“Awe.” She sighed. “I guess so.” She kissed Kate’s forehead leaving a lipstick smudge. “Oops sorry!”

“Ha ha, it’s okay!” Vivi pulled a wipe from the diaper bag and handed it to Ducky.

“Oh, she’s just so cute!” Abby stepped over to Vivi and Tony, hugging them both. “You know, Kate would be really happy for you.” She spoke softly for only Tony to hear, not realizing Gibbs was just behind her.

“Yeah, she would.”

“I like to think so. Although, maybe a little shocked too. I wasn’t really marriage or father material then.”

“She would be proud of you, Tony.” McGee turned to him.

Tony nodded as Ducky walked over to them. “Okay who’s next?”

“That would be me.” Gibbs moved forward and scooped the baby from Ducky’s arms. “Hey there.” He spoke softly, one of the biggest smiles any of them had ever seen stretching across his face. “You two enjoy this while it lasts,” Gibbs stated. “It’s gonna start moving real fast.”

“It feels like it already has!” Vivi looked to Tony, who nodded in agreement.

“Oh, you just wait.” He chuckled.

When October rolled around, it hadn’t even occurred to Tony and Vivi that their first anniversary was coming up. Kate was three months old and they hadn’t had a night out since before she was born.

“So, what are your plans for your anniversary?” Judy asked them one evening while they were over for dinner.

“Oh god!” Vivi looked at Tony. “I completely forgot!”

Tony’s face flushed as he looked from Vivi’s wide eyes to her grandparents. “I did too, actually. Wow that came up fast!”

Judy laughed as she picked a now awake Kate up from her carrier. “That tends to happen with a baby around. I was only asking because Grandad and I would be happy to watch her for you so you could go out. Have a nice quiet dinner alone.”

“Are you sure?” The thought of leaving someone with Kate who was going through a bit of a fussy stage made her anxious, even if it was her grandparents.

“Absolutely!” She stood and began rocking Kate and kissed her head. “You’ll be a good girl for Granny won’t you? Let your Mama and Daddy go out?” When Kate gave a little grunt as she snuggled against Judy she laughed. “That’s right, now here. I think you’re ready to eat.”

Vivi took Kate and slid her chair back from the table. “Story of my life, right munchkin?” She laughed as she headed for the living room. “I’m just a walking Dairy Queen!”

“Seriously, Tony, you two need to celebrate your anniversary. Kate will be fine for a couple of hours.” Judy gave his shoulder a squeeze before she started clearing the table.

“She’s right.” Ed sat back in his chair. “Neither of you remembered this year, but in the future you won’t always have a baby as an excuse. It’s good to do a little something each year.”

“Yeah, we will definitely take you up on the offer.” Tony stood up from the table. “It’s just going to be a little harder for Vivi. I’ve been back to work, but she’s with her all day and night.”

“She’ll be just fine after a while.” Judy reassured him. “Now go ask her if she’s ready for dessert.”

They chose one of their favorite restaurants for their anniversary, and Vivi tried desperately not to think about how her grandparents were doing with Kate.

“Honey?” She had spaced a little, Kate still popping into her mind.

“Hm?”

“She’s fine.” Tony reached over and grabbed her hand. “They’re at our house, plenty of whatever they would need, and we will go home right after dinner.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” She placed her hands over her face as she took a breath. “It’s just so weird being away from her. It’s so weird how that happened.”

“Yeah, we did a lot in a year of being married!” He chuckled as Vivi tossed her napkin across at him.

“We did though.” Vivi smiled. “When I imagined our first year, I always pictured us only just starting to prepare for a baby. I wouldn’t trade how it happened for anything now.”

“Me either. I truthfully never thought I’d be a dad or a husband for that matter.”

Vivi raised her eyebrows and smirked at him. “Do you miss your playboy days?”

Tony gave a snort and blushed as the waiter set their plates in front of them. “Well, hindsight being 20/20, I can’t say that those…uh…relationships were all that great.”

“No?” Vivi was having a great time making him blush and squirm.

“No, learned a few things maybe. But, you…you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Viv.” His face softened as he looked across at her. “I really mean it, babe.” He squeezed her hand tight.

Vivi could feel some tears at the corners of her eyes. “I love you.” She leaned across the table to kiss him. “Oh damn these things!” She huffed as she realized she’d leaned her chest right into her pasta.

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle as he dipped his napkin in his ice water before handing it to her.

“Seriously! These boobs are just ridiculous now!” She started laughing along with Tony as she gingerly wiped away the sauce on her top.

“Hey, you won’t see me complaining!” Tony held up his hands.

Vivi snorted and tossed the napkin next to her plate. They finished their meal and tried not to worry about Kate and just celebrate and enjoy their time as a couple. They could be mom and dad again soon enough.


	13. Chapter 13

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday dear, Kate!

Happy birthday to you!

Vivienne set the small cake in front of her daughter as the song ended and everyone cheered. She had a deer in headlights look as her family stared at her.

“Go ahead, Katie!” Tony crouched down beside the highchair and inched the cake closer to her.

Vivi handed her phone to Naomi to keep recording. “Hang on! She’s not big with her fingers maybe…” She trailed off as she walked into the kitchen. “Here.” She handed Tony one of Kate’s baby spoons.

Tony held the spoon out to Kate who instantly took it and shoved it into the cake. Cheers filled the room as she attempted to spoon the cake into her mouth. As the spoonfuls got bigger, she started using her fingers which spread the cake all over her clothing, the highchair, her face, and her hair.

“Oh crap! I should have taken her shirt off!” Vivi looked at the chocolate smearing Kate’s shirt.

After a few more moments of watching Kate, Judy started to slice up the sheet cake for guests.

Vivi sat for the first time the whole afternoon and ate her cake and watched as Kate continued to excavate her own with her spoon.

“You alright?” Tony sat next to her.

“Yeah! You think this party was okay?” She whispered.

Tony looked around at their family. “It’s great! Look, you even have Gibbs smiling!”

“That is a pretty good gauge of a party’s success, isn’t it?” Vivi giggled and quickly pecked his lips. That’s when she felt it; a little icing covered spoon touching her bare arm. She looked over at Kate who started giggling as Vivi made an exaggerated shocked face. “I guess someone needs to get cleaned up here soon, huh? Any volunteers to bath the baby?!” Vivi announced. “Don’t all volunteer at once.”

“Tim!” Tony stood up and lifted Kate from her highchair. “Come, help me with this cake covered monster.” He held her at arms distance and stopped in front of McGee.

“What? Why me?” He instinctively reached up and grabbed ahold of her.

“Because, you are the McUncle, and it is her birthday,” Tony stated and headed upstairs with McGee not far behind him, Kate’s icing covered hands gripping his shirt.

“Don’t worry my dear, I’ll go keep an eye on them.” Ducky gave Vivi’s arm a pat as he followed Tony and McGee up the stairs.

Vivi glanced into the living room where her Granddad had Gibbs and Ziva pulled into what appeared to be a very intense conversation. “Well, I guess we can start cleaning up,” she stated gaining, nods of agreement from her Gran, Abby, and Naomi.

“Alright, McBathtime. How about you get her undressed while I fill the tub.” Tony grinned at the look of distress.

“Uh, okay.” He set Kate down on the floor and slowly removed the cake covered clothing.

“Diaper too.”

“Can’t you do that?!”

“Fine.” Tony knelt down and removed the diaper. “Can you believe it, Katie? Your Uncle McGoo is afraid of a diaper!” He picked her up and placed her into the tub.

“I’m not afraid of a diaper, Tony!”

“Oh okay, Tim!” Tony was floating a few toys in Kate’s direction as he grabbed the cup on the side of the tub. Filling it with water, he shielded her eyes as he poured the water over her head.

“Are you gentlemen alright in here?” Ducky had been watching them for a few minutes.

“Oh yeah! Just giving Tim a little lesson in bath time!” Tony answered as he began to wash Kate’s hair. “Hey, hand me one of those little washcloths from that basket on the sink, McGee.”

“You know you’re actually pretty good at that,” Tim commented as he and Ducky watched a very wiggly Kate try to doge the washcloth as Tony tried to scrub all the cake away.

“You are quite the natural, Anthony.”

“Well thank you. Did you hear that, Katie?” He made faces at her as he rinsed her off and prepared to empty the tub. “Okay, so who wants the clean baby? Her towel is behind the door.”

Ducky excused himself past Tim and took the hooded towel from its hook. “Allow me.” He held the towel open in his arms and wrapped her up as Tony handed her to him.

“Alright gentlemen, follow me.” They headed for Kate’s nursery and, between the three of them, she was lotioned up, had a new diaper, and clean pajamas on.

Throughout, Ducky had started telling her a story and, once she was dressed, settled in the rocking chair. As Tony was making sure the cake covered laundry was off the bathroom floor and ready to wash, Tim waved him back to the door of the nursery.

“Did she fall asleep?” Tony asked.

“No, she’s just staring at him.”

“Hmm, maybe she needs to hear the stories he tells us then.” Tony chuckled.

“You two just don’t know a good story when you hear one.” Ducky smiled down at Kate. “But, you, my dear, do!”

“Alright, let’s head back down, huh?” Tony took Kate from Ducky, leading the way back downstairs.

“What the hell am I going to do with all of this damn food?” Vivienne leaned her palms against the kitchen counter. “Who let me order all of this?”

“Don’t worry, dear, it takes practice planning birthday parties.” Judy stood beside her. “Now, where are your leftover containers? You could send some of this home with everyone.”

Vivi pulled a stack of miscellaneous containers out, and she and Judy began dividing slices of lasagna.

“Viv, where do you want the cake?” Abby asked as she and Naomi brought what was left into the kitchen.

“I guess whoever wants to take some can and then we’ll just keep it in the box for now.”

“Okay.” Abby smiled and grabbed some containers while Naomi divided up the rest of the cake.

“Vivi? I think it’s time for me to head home, thank you for inviting me.” Ziva walked into the kitchen.

“Oh, okay. Here, take some leftovers for you and Roy.” Vivi grabbed a grocery bag from the pantry and, after placing the containers in them, handed it to Ziva.

“Oh, thank you. He will appreciate that.” Ziva took the bag and a quick hug from Vivi.

“Thank you so much for coming, Ziva! Let’s plan something soon. It feels like we haven’t seen Roy in ages,” Vivi added as she walked to the front door with Ziva. Ziva had been very quietly dating Roy for quite some time. Vivi had only met him a handful of times, but, when Ziva spoke of him, it was clear how head over heels she was for him. The only details Vivi knew about their beginning was that he’d been poisoned, close to death, and that he and Ziva knew one another in passing. But, who was Vivi kidding, Tony was not a reliable source for this stuff and she had no business prying.

“I’d like that.” She stepped out the door and called over her shoulder. “Goodbye, everyone!”

“Oh, goodbye, dear.” Ducky gave her a wave as he, McGee, and Tony came down the steps.

“Goodbye, Ducky.” She stepped back inside. “Goodbye, birthday girl.” She smiled and gave Kate’s belly a tickle, before saying goodbye one last time and heading to her car.

“Alright, we’ve got leftovers to send home!” Vivi announced as she stepped into the living room. “So, before you leave, please come grab a container or two.”

“Wait! How much are you sending?!” Tony passed Kate to Gibbs as he headed for the kitchen.

“Why does it matter, Tony? We can’t eat it all.”

“I think you underestimate my lasagna and cake eating skills,” he challenged his wife. “Give me that.” Tony swiped a container from McGee. “Why do you need two?”

Vivi rolled her eyes and handed another container to Tim. “Because I said he could have two.”

“Tony, there is a whole pan in the fridge.” Judy winked at him.

“See! Judy understands!” He rounded the counter and placed an arm around Judy’s shoulders.

“Grandad is the same way about leftovers.” Judy winked at Vivi who rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Kate had begun rubbing at her eyes and was resting her head on Gibbs shoulder. “I’m going to put this party animal down. If you all are gone before I’m back down, thank you!” She took Kate from Gibbs and rounded to everyone for kisses and hugs.

After Vivi disappeared upstairs, Judy took over getting leftovers handed out and the kitchen cleaned, with help from Abby and Naomi.

“Thanks for everything.” Tony hugged Abby and Naomi as they headed for the door.

“Tony, Ed and I are leaving too. Tell Vivi she doesn’t have a thing to do.” Judy kissed his cheek and Ed shook his hand.

“I will, thank you.” He closed the door, locked up, and jogged up the stairs to Kate’s room.

“Oh.” Vivi almost ran into him as she came out into the hallway. “Is everyone gone?”

“Yeah, she asleep?”

“Yes,” Vivi sighed as she shut the door. “She was overtired and put up a bit of a fight. It’s been a busy day for her. How much is left to clean up?” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him.

“All done, just need to get the toys and clothes put away.”

“Oh good.” She buried her face into his chest, breathing him in. “Mmm. Let’s do it tomorrow. I’m tired.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

Date nights were now a big deal for Tony and Vivi! They were fortunate to have a handful of built in babysitters and it didn’t take a lot of doing for Judy, Abby, or Naomi to watch Kate for a little while.

“Are you sure you want her overnight AND most of the day tomorrow?” Vivi asked Judy for the third time since their conversation began.

“Yes, I’m sure! We love having her here and you two need more than just a couple of hours.”

Vivi sighed. “Well as long as you are 100% sure.”

“Honey, I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t sure.”

“Okay, well, I’ll get her stuff together, and we will drop her off on our way out to dinner.”

“Alright, we will feed her, so don’t you worry about that!”

“Okay, thanks, Gran!”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

“I can’t believe that we have the house totally to ourselves tonight.” Vivi sighed on the ride home, a few glasses of wine circulating in her system.

“You aren’t going to fall asleep on me are you?” Tony glanced over as they pulled into the driveway.

“No, a glass of water and I’ll be good to go.”

Tony slipped into the bathroom while Vivi changed out of her dress. Their sex life wasn’t bad by any means, but it had become very different after having a baby. Kate may have been over a year now, but she was a busy toddler and wore them out on top of everything else.

Vivi had thrown on one of Tony’s old Ohio State t-shirts and laid back on the bed.

“Oh, honey.” Tony spoke softly as he walked out of the bathroom and saw Vivi dozing on the bed.

“Huh?” Her eyes fluttered open. “Oh, you done? Let me go brush my teeth.” She climbed of the bed and slipped into the bathroom.

“Do you just want to sleep?” Tony rolled to his side to face her as she climbed into bed.

Vivi sighed and glanced up at him. “Honestly? Yes. I know this was supposed to be our-” A yawn stopped her for a moment. “-our first night to try and all, but I’m exhausted.”

He reached over and brushed her hair off of her forehead. “I know, but we have all morning.” Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her before settling onto his pillow.

The next morning, Vivi was on her stomach, legs tangled with Tony’s and an arm across his chest. As she began to stir, she shifted so she was facing him and gently rubbed his chest.

Tony grunted as he stretched and opened his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair that was already sticking every which way. “Are you petting me?”

Vivi looked up at him and grinned. “Yes.” She scooted up and pecked him on the lips. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have to pee.”

He laid there for a moment before going to the hall bathroom himself. “What time is it?” He grabbed his alarm clock and squinted.

“Time for you to get some reading glasses apparently,” Vivi teased as she climbed back into bed.

“Very funny.” He placed the alarm clock down. “Why are we awake at 6:30 when we can sleep in?”

Vivi was propped up on her side and scooted to rest her head against his shoulder when he got back into bed. “Well, we can go back to sleep.” She pressed a kiss to the side of his chest. “Or we can do what we planned for last night.” Her hand slid down his chest, below the sheets.

“Oh…woah okay.” Tony sucked in a breath as Vivi’s hand wrapped around his length. “Yeah, sleep is overrated.” He shifted to his side and crushed his lips against hers.

Vivi moaned into his mouth as his hand slid under the t-shirt she’d slept in to massage her breasts. Her hand moved away from his hardened shaft and she wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers sliding through his hair.

Moving on top of her, Tony broke the kiss and sat up on his knees. He lifted the hem of the shirt, exposing her tits. Leaning back down, he took a nipple gently between his teeth before swirling his tongue around it and moving to the next.

Vivi tugged at his hair as he slowly kissed his way to between her legs. She groaned as he settled and slowly licked and sucked at her dampening folds. Sex had been a race more often than not in the last year and a half, and she didn’t know what to do with this languid pace he was setting.

He hummed against her as she writhed beneath him. Pulling his mouth away, he looked up at her and grinned as she glanced down.

“Why did you stop?”

“Just admiring you.” He kissed her inner thigh and inserted two fingers, one after the other.

“Shit.” Vivi groaned and pressed her head back into the pillows as his mouth returned to her clit and his fingers began their rhythmic dance within her. “Okay, okay!” Vivi gripped at his hair and pulled him up as her orgasm crashed through her.

Tony placed a few kisses along her middle before propping himself above her, his forearms on either side of her head. “You good?”

“Uh huh.” She placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss, tasting herself on his lips. “I want to be on top.”

“Okay.” Tony didn’t have to be asked twice. He gripped the outside of her thighs as she straddled him. Her hand reached between them and guided him to her soaked core. He groaned and tightened his grip as she slowly slid down his length.

Taking a moment to adjust, VIvi reached for the hem of the shirt to pull it off.

“Wait, leave it on.” Tony shrugged when she raised her eyebrow at him. “It’s kinda hot, you in my t-shirt.”

Vivi shook her head and leaned down to kiss him. “Whatever floats your boat, babe,” she whispered in his ear as she began to gently roll her hips.

“Oh yeah, this definitely does.” His hands moved up her sides as she sat back up and rode him. When she leaned forward a bit, he moved his hands over her breasts and teased her nipples with his thumbs.

Leaning forward just a bit more into him, Vivi found the friction she desired, moving faster and harder.

“Fuck, Viv, I’m close,” Tony grunted, his hands back on her hips as he thrust into her movements.

“Yeah.” She leaned down pressing her chest into his to grind harder against him. “Tony…” Viv cried out against the side of his neck as her second orgasm came.

Tony held onto her hips as she clenched around him and he filled her with his release with a grunt.

They lay still for a moment to catch their breath before Vivi slowly rolled back to his side. “I love you.” She kissed his cheek and then his lips as he turned to look at her.

“I love you too.” His breath was still a little short. “Wow, what a way to wake up!”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve done it like that.”

“It has, hasn’t it. Guess we should have Kate visit your grandparents more often.”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” Vivi patted his chest. “You want some breakfast?”

“Yeah, but maybe a shower first.” He lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. “Definitely a shower first.”

“How about a group shower?” Vivi suggested as she slid out of bed.

“You read my mind.” Tony hopped out and followed behind.


	14. Chapter 14

Vivi was working intently on inventory one April morning when Naomi breezed into the shop. She placed a cup of coffee and brown bag containing Viv’s favorite breakfast sandwich in front of her.

“Happy birthday!”

“Thank you.” Vivi looked up at her friend and smiled softly.

“What’s wrong?” Naomi rounded the desk and gave Vivi a tight hug. “Oh no! Are you starting to freak out about being 40?”

“Huh? No, no! I’m fine with that! 40 is nothing! I’m married, working on baby number two, and have an amazing boss!” She smiled.

“Okay, then what is it?”

“Tony has been weird this week about me staying here and not working from home today. Do you know what he’s up to?”

“Shit, I told him just to tell you!”

Vivi rolled her eyes. “He’s throwing me a party isn’t he? I told him not to make a big deal out of this.”

“Yeah, I said the same thing when he asked me to keep you here. He didn’t want me telling you.” Naomi fiddled with the top of her own coffee. “But, at least pretend to be surprised. He’s gotten really into it, and I’ve been able to get him to keep it pretty low key.”

“Okay good, so it’s just like you, my grandparents, and the usual?”

“Right, I told him not to go crazy with who he invited and, as far as I know, he stuck to that.”

Vivi nodded and put her focus back into her work.

At about 6 that evening, she was walking up to her door. The lights were on in the living room, but no sign of anyone. Vivi sighed with relief as she unlocked the door.

“I told him not to do the whole lights out thing,” Naomi said as she joined her on the front steps.

“Thank you. I think that’s the part I hate more than anything else.”

Walking into the house, she could hear the hum of voices coming from the kitchen. As she entered, there were cheers of ‘Happy Birthday’ and a round of hugs.

“Happy birthday babe.” Tony was the last one to pull her in for a tight hug.

“Thank you.” She looked up and smiled before giving him a kiss.

“You’re not mad?” He furrowed his brow at her. “Wait…did Naomi tell you?”

“Only because she knows how I feel about surprises. Actually, knowing about it, I’ve been dying to get home and see everyone.” She pecked a kiss to his lips.

“Well, I guess that works then.” He gave her another quick squeeze before stepping back in as host and gathering everyone for dinner.

“You really are they only one that they can send?” Vivi frowned as Tony explained the assignment he had been given as Agent Afloat. He would be leaving at the very end of May and would be gone for the entire month of June.

“Yeah, but Gibbs said he’ll make sure that I’m back for Kate’s birthday.” Kate would be turning two that July, and Tony trusted that Gibbs would have him back just in time to be with his daughter. He sat down at the dining table next to Kate’s high chair as Vivi placed her in it. “If I could, babe, I would back out of it entirely, but I don’t have a choice.” He spoke to her retreating back as she went to grab Kate’s dinner.

“I know, it’s just…a whole month?” She handed Tony the bowl and one of Kate’s spoons.

Tony gave a sad smile to his wife as he scooped some of the chicken, pasta, and broccoli pieces onto her high chair tray. “It sucks, but I’ll be back before you know it. Right, Katie?” She giggled and put a handful of food in her mouth.

“I do it.” She grabbed the spoon out of Tony’s hand before tossing it to the floor.

“Hey!” He went to grab it when the doorbell rang.

“Just leave it. She’ll only throw it on the floor again,” Vivi laughed as she went to retrieve the pizza she had ordered.

Tony shrugged and hopped up to grab a couple of plates from the kitchen. “Babe, what do you want to drink? Wine with our pizza?” He held up the bottle they had sitting on the counter.

“Sure, why not.” She pulled a couple of glasses from the shelf and followed him to the table.

“Mmm.” Kate grinned with a mouth full of her baby pasta.

“That’s right, it’s pizza night! She can have a little right?”

“Yeah, let’s just make sure that we pull the sausage and pepperoni off. That’ll mess with her tummy too much. I personally don’t want that diaper or sick later.”

“Fair enough. Cheese only for you then!” He set a few cut up pieces on her highchair tray.

Tony had only a couple of weeks to get himself ready before shipping out, so he made sure he was home every evening to spend time with his little family. They were even able to have a few date nights before he left thanks to Abby and Naomi alternately babysitting for them.

But, the morning he had to leave was hard. The thought of Tony being gone for a month with no way to contact him was hard to swallow for Vivi. “Do you have everything that you need?”

Stopping at the front door, Tony put his duffel on the floor as he turned to face Vivi. “Yeah, I’ve got everything.”

She had a sleepy Kate on her hip as Tony wrapped his arms around them both. “Ugh.” Vivi was fighting tears as she clung to him with her free arm. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to do this. It’s just a month.”

As she leaned back, Tony reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m going to miss you two like crazy.” He smiled sadly before leaning in for a kiss, a kiss that would have lasted longer if Kate’s hands hadn’t been on their cheeks pulling them apart with a laugh.

“Give Daddy hugs.” Vivi shifted her off of her hip to Tony.

“I’m going to miss you sweetheart, but I’ll be home soon, okay?” The little girl nodded and then snuggled her head into his neck. “I love you.” He whispered before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Okay.” He placed her back in Vivi’s arms. “Katie, you be good for Mommy.”

“Bye babe.” Vivi reached up to kiss him again after he picked up his bag. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The nights were tough while Tony was away. It wasn’t often that Vivi had to sleep the entire night alone, but, between a stack of pillows to fill his side and wearing his t-shirts to bed, she was coping.

Kate missed him too, asking when Daddy was coming home and wanting to call him.

Their routine was pretty solid though. Vivi was almost exclusively working on the books from home for Naomi, going in once or twice a month to do things in the shop. The only downside, a couple of weeks in, was a sudden bout of the stomach flu that hit Vivi. She didn’t get sick often, but, when she did, it seemed to knock her on her ass. The nausea was in and out, but the exhaustion was tougher to beat. As the sick feeling continued, it dawned on her one day what might have been the cause of her illness. They had stopped birth control, this time on purpose, back in March, and these feelings were identical to when she’d been pregnant with Kate.

Vivi had resisted asking, but she wanted Tony to know sooner rather than later and enlisted Gibbs’ help.

Kate on her hip, Vivi walked off the elevator into the squad room of NCIS. “Hi guys.” She beamed at her husband’s colleagues.

“Hey, Vivi.” McGee smiled. “Hi, Kate!”

Ziva stood and gave the little girl’s cheek a light stroke. “Hey cutie bug!”

The little girl snuggled her face into her mother’s neck. “Sorry, guys, we’re on the edge of nap time and also on a nap strike.” She sat down in Tony’s chair. “Let’s see.” She shifted the little girl to her lap. “Hey little Miss Grumpy, who’s that?” She pointed at Ziva.

“Z.” She whispered giving Ziva a tiny smile.

“Okay.” She turned the chair to McGee. “How about him? Who’s that?”

The little girl hesitated for a second, but then a grin grew on her face that brought out how much she looked like Tony. “MCGOO!!!” She cried and it threw Ziva and Vivi into a fit of laughter.

McGee rolled his eyes and returned to his desk. “Great! Now I have two Tonys.”

“Awe, lighten up McGee, she’s only a toddler!” Ziva teased as she returned to her desk.

At that moment, Gibbs walked in. “Yeah and she’s much cuter than Tony too.” He leaned down and pecked Vivi on the cheek. “Hiya, Princess.” He beamed at the little girl.

“Now who’s this?!” Vivi exclaimed holding her hands up and shrugging at Kate.

Another grin broke out on the little girl’s face. “BOSS!”

“Ha ha! That’s right!” Gibbs scooped her out of her mother’s lap and placed her on his hip, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

It warmed Vivi’s heart when she saw Gibbs with Kate. She knew about Shannon and Kelly and loved seeing how happy her and Tony’s little girl made him. “Gibbs, I can’t thank you enough for this! I know it’s a pain and not really allowed, but…”

“Hey.” He stopped her and kissed her forehead. “This news can’t wait and I’d do anything for family, you know that.” He turned to Kate and whispered. “You ready to go talk to your daddy?”

She whispered right back. “Yeah! Daddy!”

“Alright, let’s go girls!” He lead the way to MTAC, giving Director Vance a nod on the way.

Vivi also turned and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to the director. The director nodded with a smile and headed back to his office.

“So, what do you think that was all about?” McGee wondered aloud.

Ziva shrugged. “Do you think Abby knows?”

“Let’s run down and ask. If she doesn’t, Ducky might.” The two hurried down so they’d be back before Gibbs and Vivi emerged from MTAC.

Vivi was unreasonably nervous now that she was standing in front of the screen next to Gibbs. She had Kate back on her hip as he worked to get connected to Tony, so she busied herself smoothing out the little girl’s hair and giving her a few snuggles.

“Hi, Boss, what’s going on? I wasn’t expecting you to call today.” He paused and suddenly realized his wife and daughter were also on the screen. “Well, hey, gorgeous! Hi, Katie!”

“Daddy!” The little girl waved excitedly with both hands.

“I miss you sweetheart! Are you being good for Mommy?”

The little girl nodded and then became fidgety, making it difficult for Vivi to hold her and talk to Tony at the same time.

“Come here you, let Mommy and Daddy talk.” Gibbs took the little girl and sat in one of the chairs, working to keep her occupied.

“So what’s up, honey? Did you ask Gibbs to call?” Tony’s face grew concerned.

“Yeah, I did.” Vivi fiddled with the necklace she was wearing. It was one that Tony had given her after Kate was born. It had her birthstone and they could add to when they had more children. “Well, after you shipped out, I had this weird stomach thing hit me and I’ve been extremely tired.”

“Yeah…” Tony trailed off a look of confusion replacing the concern.

“Um…well, I decided to take a pregnancy test and it…it was positive.” She smiled, her hand moving from the necklace to her abdomen. She waited a beat before continuing. “Then, I went to the doctor yesterday and she confirmed it. I’m about eight weeks along. He or she should be here in February.” She watched Tony’s expression morph into pure joy.

“Really?!” He couldn’t form words. They’d wanted another baby and were casually trying up until he became Agent Afloat. He thought back to a particular night after he found out he was going to be Agent Afloat for a while and smirked at the memory.

“Hey!” Vivi chastised him realizing what he was thinking. “Can you not think about that when we’re on a video conference with your boss?”

Tony laughed. “Sorry, babe, couldn’t help it. It was a good night.” He leaned his chin on his hand as he gazed at his wife.

“Oh shut up!” She laughed. Gibbs stood up next to her, signaling they had to go. “Okay, babe, I love you and miss you! Come home soon, okay?”

“I will, baby. I love you too!” He gave a small smile and soft sigh.

“Say ‘bye-bye’ to Daddy, Kate.” Vivi took her daughter into her arms.

“Bye, Daddy!” She waved.

“Blow him a kiss.” Vivi whispered. 

Tony mock caught the kiss. “Agh, I got that one! Thank you, princess!” He blew a loud kiss back, Kate giggling as she held her cheeks. “Bye honey, I love you.” He signed off and Vivi followed Gibbs back out to the squad room.

Abby, Ducky, and Palmer were all there as they walked in. “Guess the jig is up, huh?” Vivi laughed as she followed Gibbs.

“Oh yeah, you may as well tell ‘em.” He smiled, walking to his desk.

“Tell us what?!” Abby bounced on her feet.

“Well, you’re smiling, so it has to be good news.” Ducky smiled.

“It is good news.” Vivi smiled and handed Kate to Abby to say ‘hello’. “Tony and I are going to have another baby.”

There were cheers, hugs, and kisses all around. “You know,” McGee began. “Fatherhood has been really good for Tony. It’s great you’re having a second.”

“Oh yeah?” Vivi was interested in where this was going.

“Yeah he’s become a lot less…” McGee seemed to have difficulty finding the right words.

Ziva filled in the blank with a few suggestions. “Less annoying? More mature?”

Vivi laughed and stayed for a little longer to celebrate the news with her extended family, that was extending by one more not long from now. Only Tony coming home would make it sweeter.

Tony couldn’t get home soon enough after his stint as Agent Afloat. He missed his girls and the excitement of a new baby was flowing through him.

As they settled back into their routine, they also started getting ready for the new baby. It was much easier the second time around, since they had just about everything they needed. When they found out that it was another girl, it was even easier. They already had all the clothes they would need for a newborn girl. The only addition was trying to explain to a now two-year old Kate about her new sister and getting her excited to be a big sister.

They decided on the name Jennifer Marie, Jenny for short, after the late director, Jenny Shepard, whom Tony had been very close to. Their NCIS family was thrilled with their choice in names for Kate and now Jenny. Outsiders may have viewed it as a little morbid, but the memory of two strong and amazing women being carried forth in Tony’s girls meant the world to those who had known them.

It was late September and the team had gathered to say goodbye to Ziva and her longtime boyfriend Roy. The couple was relocating overseas for the time being until they officially decided what they wanted to do. Vivi had a hunch that they would get married, but Ziva always dodged the question.

“I can’t believe you guys are really leaving.” Vivi gave Ziva a sad smile.

“I know, it’s hard to leave, but it’s time.” Ziva glanced over at Roy who was chatting with Tony and McGee.

“This is certainly a hard family to leave behind.” Abby came up and joined the conversation.

“Abby! Are you okay, honey?” Vivi wrapped an arm around her waist.

“No, this is probably the worst party I’ve ever been to.” She sniffed and looked sadly at Ziva. “I know it took a long time for us to become friends, but I don’t know how I’ll deal with you an ocean away now.”

“We will keep in touch and visit, I promise.” Ziva pulled her in for a hug.

Their baby girl was not the only change happening for the DiNozzo’s. When Tony had been away, Vivi had been thinking long and hard about a particular addition that she’d been pining for.

“A dog?” Tony gave his wife a puzzled look over the dinner table when she brought up the topic. “I mean, dogs are great, but Jenny will be here in five months. Do you think we can train a dog before then?”

“Yes, I’m totally sure! I grew up with a dog, and it’s been so long since I’ve had one!” Her eyes were pleading. “Even if we waited, we have kids, and, no matter what age, a dog will take some extra patience. But, I loved the one I had growing up and I really want that for the girls, too.”

Tony hadn’t grown up with pets himself. The closest he’d had were two fish and a cat that ran away. “Well, do you know what kind? I mean, it’s got to be okay with a toddler and a baby.”

“Yes. I actually did some research while you were away, but then the idea just got away from me the last few months.” Vivi gave a wave of her hand. The truth was, she was really afraid he was going to say no to the idea. “Looking at dogs that work best with families, I think a Collie will be our best option. There is actually a rescue in Chantilly, Virginia that is dedicated to Collies. They have a few that are over a year, so we don’t necessarily need to go through the puppy stage.”

“Okay, well, we can go there this weekend and take a look.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “If we’re going to do it, we may as well do it soon.”

Vivi called ahead with some questions about the dogs they had that were ready to be adopted. She explained their family situation and the shelter had a few dogs that would be a potential match for the DiNozzo family to meet that weekend.

Kate in tow, they met a couple of the dogs, but one in particular attached herself to Kate right away. Her coloring was darker than some of the other Collies, but her gaze was gentle, and she wasn’t shy in covering Kate with kisses and herding her back over to Vivi and Tony. When they crouched down to see her, she immediately sat and pawed at their hands.

“Oh, this is her!” Vivi loved her immediately, and it warmed her heart to see how quickly the pup had taken to Kate.

“Yeah, seems like she’s picked Kate for sure.” Tony laughed as the pup licked his hands. “You want to come live with us?” He asked the dog who brought a paw up to his knee in response. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

They completed the remaining paperwork for the shelter to complete the adoption. Leaving the shelter, they loaded into the car with their new family member and began to debate names. They narrowed it down to a few of their favorite classic movie stars and ultimately went with Ginger.

Vivi settled at home with Ginger and Kate, while Tony went to purchase what they would need for her. “What do you think, Kate? Do you love Ginger?”

Kate jumped up and down as they watched Ginger exploring the backyard. When she came back to the patio, Vivi guided Kate’s hands to gently pet her new friend. That night, Ginger opted to sleep on the floor next to Kate’s new toddler bed; both slept through the night.

“Hey. I’m here and coming upstairs.” Vivi quickly spoke when Tony answered her call. She was meeting him at NCIS so they could head to a Christmas party at Naomi’s that evening.

“You have to pee don’t you?”

“Story of my life every half hour!”

“Well, good, you can meet Bishop.”

“Oh that’s right! The new agent that started a few weeks ago.”

“Yep.” Tony threw Ellie a grin.

“I’m guessing that was your wife or you just have a weird knowledge of other’s bathroom habits,” Ellie commented as Tony ended the call and sat back at his desk.

“Funny, Bishop. Yes it is Mrs. DiNozzo herself and she is seven months pregnant.” Tony turned to his computer to close what he’d been working on.

“Yes and this little girl is using my bladder as a punching bag.” She quickly waved to Ellie. “Vivi, nice to meet you. I’ll be right back.”

“Awe! You are having another girl?” Ellie smiled.

“Yeah.” Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“He’s slowly being surrounded,” McGee teased. “Their dog is even a girl.”

“I’ll have you know that me being the only man in the house hasn’t changed me!”

“Really, Tony? It hasn’t?” McGee caught VIvi returning out of the corner of his eye and she held her finger to her lips.

“Of course not! I’m just as masculine as I was before kids and getting married. DiNozzo men are the height of masculinity.”

“Yeah?” Vivi was leaning over the side of the divider next to his desk. “So, I shouldn’t tell them how you let Kate put ribbons in your hair the other day or your penchant for baths?”

“Hey!”

“Do you have pictures?” McGee looked at Vivi.

“Oh yeah!” Vivi grinned as McGee and Bishop laughed.

“Okay, so I did let her, but she’s two and a half.” He grabbed the latest photo of Kate off his desk. “How can I tell this face no?”

“Fair enough, but the bath thing?” McGee raised his eyebrows.

“I do not take baths! Baths are for kids. Men soak.”

“Whatever you say babe. Are you ready to go?” Vivi asked.

Tony nodded and grabbed his coat.

“Ellie, it was nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, and congratulations!” She shook Vivi’s hand.

“Thank you.” She brought her hand to her belly. “Oh, and don’t worry. I’ll sneak those pictures to you and McGee.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he stood behind Vivi.

“Okay, let’s go so we get to Naomi’s in time for me to pee again.”

“Have fun!” Ellie called as they headed for the elevator.

About five minutes after they left, McGee received a text from Vivi, and, as soon as he opened it, he couldn’t stop laughing.

“What is it?”

“I can’t-just…” He held out his phone. “Just look.”

“Oh my god! That’s fantastic!” She laughed.

“Happens when you have a little girl.” Gibbs appeared, looking over Bishop’s shoulder.

Jumping at his voice, Ellie tossed McGee his phone.

“Boss, you’d let your daughter do that?”

“Yep.” He sat down at his desk. “It’s better than the look of heartbreak on their face if you tell ‘em no.”

“I’d love to see that picture,” Ellie whispered to McGee before walking back to her desk.

“You won’t, Bishop. Don’t you two have work to do?” He asked without looking up at either agent.

On February 5th, Kate and Ginger had a sleepover with Granny and Grandad as Vivi and Tony headed for the hospital.

The following day, her little face lit up when she saw Jenny for the first time. As she sat next to Vivi in the hospital bed, she stared intently at her ‘sissy’.

“You need to be gentle with ‘sissy’, Kate.” Vivi moved her hands from the baby’s face. “Here, see her hands.” She untucked Jenny’s hands for her to touch. “Let’s see ‘sissy’s’ toes too.” She untucked the newborn’s feet.

“Ganny?” Kate called for Judy across the room. “Can I have fishes?”

Vivi laughed as Kate pushed lightly against Jenny so she could get down to have some Goldfish. “Guess a baby is only exciting for so long.”

Aside from having to learn how to be gentle with a baby, Kate was great with Jenny, and the love was evident.

When they took her home a couple of days later, Ginger was fascinated by the new family member. Sniffing her blankets and loyally sitting next to anyone or any place her baby happened to be. When she could get away with it, she would give a lick to Jenny’s face, hands, or feet.

“Mommy, I help you.” Kate brought a diaper and the package of wipes to Vivi as she laid the newborn down on the changing pad spread out on the sofa.

“Oh thank you.” Vivi took them from her as the little girl climbed up by her sister’s head and kissed her head gently.

Tony walked in from the kitchen and pulled his phone from his pocket to take a photo.

“No cry baby.” Kate gently pet Jenny’s head as she fussed at the cold air from her diaper being removed.

Vivi looked up at Tony who quietly pointed to his phone to let her know he was filming it. As she fastened the new diaper and put Jenny’s onesie back into place, Kate climbed back down and grabbed one of her stuffed animals.

“Here.” She placed the animal next to Jenny before climbing back on the couch.

“Aw, thank you for sharing. I think it made her feel better.” Vivi kissed Kate’s head.

Tony put his phone away and grabbed the diaper for the trash. “Come on, Katie, let’s make Mommy lunch.”

Kate leaned over to kiss Jenny’s head again and climbed off the couch to run and catch up with Tony.

“You’ve got such a good big sister, huh?” Vivi cooed to Jenny as she settled back to nurse her.

“Alright, let’s wash your hands first.” Tony held Kate up to the sink and put some soap in her hands. After they were rinsed, he let her dry them herself as he sat her on the counter. “Okay, let’s make Mommy’s sandwich first.” He let her get the slices of bread out of the bag and put them on the plate. He then handed her the pieces of lunch meat and cheese, before spreading the mayonnaise, and cutting it in half himself.

Setting her down on the floor, Tony put some chips on the plate before handing it to Kate and telling her to walk carefully to give it to Vivi.

“Here, Mommy.” Kate set the plate on the coffee table in front of her.

“Thank you, sweetie.” Vivi looked up at Tony as Kate ran back to the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, I washed her hands.” He leaned down and put the plate on the couch so she could reach it.

“Oh good, thanks. Now if we can teach her to not sneeze in our faces we’re on the right track.” Vivi laughed as she took a bite of the sandwich.

“Don’t remind me!” Tony shuddered as he remembered the other night when she had sneezed not once, but twice in his face and they were less than projectile free. “Alright, let me get back in there before she destroys the kitchen.” Tony kissed Vivi and jogged back to finish making his and Kate’s lunch.


	15. Chapter 15

It was early August, Kate had turned three the month before and Jenny was now six months old. Tony and Vivi had decided it was time for their first family vacation. Their destination was a beach house in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Their family would be joining them for short periods of time, all overlapping for one evening in the middle of the week. It was much needed time away, but a little stressful trying to pack everything that they would need.

“God we look like the damn Clampetts!” Vivi exclaimed as she closed the hatch of their tightly packed SUV.

Tony laughed at his wife’s reference to the Beverly Hillbillies, but he couldn’t disagree. Unfortunately, everything that was in the car was a necessity for the girls. “What time is Naomi coming to stay with Ginger?”

“She’ll be coming over in the morning. I gave her the key and run down yesterday.” They were lucky to have a friend like Naomi who was not only willing to give Vivi the time off, but to stay with the family dog while they were gone.

“Okay. Oh, Abby, McGee, and my grandparents are following us down. I told them to be here about one thirty.”

“Alright, that works. I’m gonna get the girls bathed and lay them down for a little. Why don’t you go get settled so you can sleep for a bit,” Vivi said as they headed back inside. Their plan was to leave around two in the morning to beat the traffic and so the girls would sleep.

Abby and McGee were the last to arrive as Tony was making the final check of the dog and house before climbing into the car. Voices were hushed as Judy helped Vivi strap the girls in their car seats, praying that they would fall back to sleep as soon as they got on the highway.

The drive was about seven hours, with a stop for breakfast around six-thirty, a couple bathroom and diaper change stops, and swapping who was driving.

They were now on the last stretch and Vivi was in the driver’s seat. The couple had created a playlist that was long enough to get them through as much of the drive as possible. They agreed on over 90% of what was on there, but there were a few track choices that the other balked at.

Vivi had zoned in on the road when the strains of one of Tony’s questionable choices came on. “Are you serious?!” She glanced over at her husband who had been dozing off.

“What?”

“The ‘Magnum P.I.’ theme song? You had to put that on here?!” Vivi reached forward with the intention of changing to the next song.

“Hey, no way!” Tony was fully alert now and pulled the iPod from her reach. “I had to listen to the musical stylings of the Spice Girls not once, not twice, but three times while I was driving!”

Rolling her eyes, Vivi refocused on the road as her husband now drummed along to the song. “You’re an idiot you know that?”

“Love you too, babe.” Tony grinned as the song ended and placed the iPod back in the cup holder.

When they arrived in the beach town, it was about eleven, and they had a couple of hours to kill before the house they’d rented would be ready. They decided to sit down and have some lunch. There were several other families that Saturday who had the same idea and crowded into the little pizza place they found.

After lunch, they were notified by the rental office that the house was ready and they collected their keys. Pulling into the drive, Vivi, Judy, and Abby took the girls into the house, giving it the once over as Tony, Ed, and Tim worked to unload the cars.

The girls were full of energy and ready to move after being stuck in the car for such a long time. Tony was exhausted, having done most of the driving, so Vivi suggested that he take a nap while she, Judy, and Abby took the girls down to the beach for a walk.

“So, when are Gibbs and Ducky coming?” Abby was excited to have some time off.

“Last I heard, they should get here on Wednesday. We’ll all have dinner together before you and Tim head back to DC Thursday morning,” she answered as she adjusted Jenny in the wrap.

“That thing is so cool!” Abby fingered the material of the wrap.

“It has been a lifesaver with Kate being so mobile now. My hands are free!” She laughed as they reached the shoreline. “Speaking of. Kate! Wait please, you need to stay with Granny!”

The little girl ran back and latched onto Judy’s hand and pulled to get closer to the waves.

They walked to the pier that was about a mile from the house before heading back to check on the boys. The remainder of their first night was kept low key. Judy and Abby tackled a quick grocery run for the week and everyone crashed around nine o’clock.

“How about you and your grandparents go out tonight and Tim and I will watch the girls?” Abby offered as they hung around the pool after lunch. Both girls were napping after a full morning on the beach, and the adults were taking some time to swim and chat kid free.

“Are you sure? This is your vacation too guys.” Vivi didn’t want them to feel like they invited them along as babysitters.

“Definitely! How long has it been since you two went out?”

“Oh, dear we don’t mind watching the girls. You young kids should go out!” Judy waved Abby off.

“No, no! You guys should be able to go out and do what you want at least once while we’re here! You never know when you’ll have the chance again.” Abby said in a sing-song voice.

“Babe, she’s got a point.” Tony swam up behind VIvi, wrapping his arms around her waist. “How about you McBabysit? You up for doing the whole McUncle routine with Aunt Abby?”

Tim rolled his eyes at Tony and Abby cut him off before he could respond. “Of course he is, Tony! Your kids are so fun! It’ll be great!”

“Thanks you guys!” Vivi turned and wrapped her arms around Tony’s neck as they floated. “Guess we should decide where we want to go then, huh? Pretty big deal you know? First date in what, 8 months?!”

“I’m sure we’ll find somewhere fun.” He leaned in and slowly kissed his wife, throwing a little tongue in for the audience he had on the other side of the pool.

“Get a room!” Tim called, as he beamed a beach ball at Tony’s head.

“Okay, so there are some green beans and bananas for Jenny. If she doesn’t finish them, just put the lids on and stick them in the fridge. There is a pumped bottle for bedtime. We put her down at about 7 or 7:30. Uh, let’s see.”

“Babe,” Tony put his hands on Vivi’s shoulders as he stood behind her. “I think they’ve got it. Kate will eat just about anything, and we’re on vacation.”

Vivi sighed and grabbed her purse.

“We’ve got this!” Abby smiled. “Go and have fun! If we need you, we’ll call you!”

They gave goodnight kisses to the girls and headed for the car. VIvi’s grandparents had gone out a few hours before on their own little date. It had been several years since they’d taken a vacation and were grateful that their granddaughter had such wonderful friends to help with the girls.

“Viv.”

“Hmm?” She was staring at the house as Tony pulled onto the street.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.” Reaching over he grabbed and squeezed her hand. “Come on, first hot date with my sexy wife in a long time! Let’s go have some fun!”

“Okay.” Vivi laughed and pressed a kiss to Tony’s knuckles.

“Alright, Kate! Uncle Timmy is going to go pick up dinner. Do you want to help me feed Jenny?”

“Yes!” The little girl bounced on her toes and threw her arms up in excitement.

“Uncle Timmy? Really Abs?”

“Would you rather her call you McGoo the whole time?”

“Fair enough. Okay, I’ll be right back. You good?”

“Yep! We’ll be just fine!” Abby placed Jenny in the bumbo seat and reattached the tray.

“Here, here!” Kate tugged on Abby’s shirt, a bib in her other hand.

“Oh thank you! You’re such a good big sister! How about you sit here?” Abby picked Kate up and sat her on the bar stool at the counter where Jenny’s seat was placed.

Tony and Vivi had found a piano bar that sounded like a lot of fun. After being seated, they ordered a few drinks and appetizers. They tried to talk about anything other than the kids. It definitely wasn’t easy, but a distraction soon came their way as the show started.

“I wonder if they’d take a Sinatra request?” Tony wondered aloud. There were two piano players taking audience requests and each playing them in their own style.

“What were you thinking?” Vivi had moved her chair close to his and leaned her chin on his shoulder.

“New York, New York?”

“I don’t see why not! It’s a classic.”

Tony headed over to where they were taking requests and it was eagerly received by the musicians.

Back at the beach house, Tim was trying to relax as he held onto a very wiggly Jenny. “How much longer is this bath going to take?”

“McGee! She’s playing!”

“Okay, but I think…uh…oh yeah I think we need a diaper change over here.” His face scrunched as the result of all of the infant’s wiggling became apparent.

“Then go change it! I’m pretty sure there are some diapers in Tony and Vivi’s room, Tim.”

“Abby, can you do it please?” Tim gave Abby the best pouty face he could muster.

Abby glanced over at Kate and giggled. “Okay, here. You stay here and watch Kate.”

“Thank you,” he sighed in relief and handed Jenny over. As he sat on the floor next to the tub, he received a splash to the face, “Thanks.”

“You welcome.” Kate grinned as she continued to play and splash in the bubbles.

“Alright! Time for pjs!!!” Abby announced as she returned to the bathroom.

“Can I get anything else for you?” Their waitress was making one final stop.

“No thanks. Just our check.”

“You sure, babe?” Vivi scrunched her forehead. “You only had one beer this whole time.”

“Honey, I’ve got to drive us home. Plus,” he whispered in her ear, “I think you’ve had enough wine for both of us.”

Vivi snorted at his comment. He wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t been doing much drinking the last year, so the alcohol was hitting her a little harder than usual.

“I’ll be right back with your check.” The waitress smiled at the couple.

“Great, thanks! Alright, Mrs. DiNozzo, you ready to go?”

“Mmhmm.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. The night had been fun, but she was ready to go home to her babies.

“Hey, pass us the popcorn!” Abby called from beneath the tower of cushions, pillows and blankets she and Kate had put together for their fort. They had been kind enough to leave a single cushion for McGee on the sofa.

“Abbs, we should probably put her to bed soon. It’s getting pretty late.”

“Awe, but we’re on vacation. I’m sure it’s fine!”

McGee sighed and flipped through channels on the television as he heard another episode of ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’ queue up on Abby’s iPad.

As they pulled up to the house, they noticed that some lights were still on. Assuming it was just Abby and Tim, they walked in quietly, trying not to wake the girls.

Vivi walked in ahead of Tony and tossed her purse on the counter. Her grandparents were standing quietly just on the edge of the living room.

“What’s going on?” Vivi asked Judy.

“Shh, look!” She pointed to the floor in front of the couch.

Tony turned and saw the pillow fort. Just barely visible at the center were Abby and Kate. They were snuggled up together with the iPad forgotten off to the side. Next to them was Tim, head resting on the back of the couch.

“Oh, where’s my phone?!” Vivi scrambled to take a picture of Abby and Kate.

“Hey, don’t forget McDrool over here. Get a good shot right above his mouth here.”

“Babe, no. Come on, Jenny must be upstairs. We’ll leave these guys here.”

“Okay, I’ll be right up. I’m going to lock up.” As soon as Vivi was out of sight, Tony fished his own phone out of his pocket. Chuckling quietly to himself, he took a few pics of McGee before feeling a hand make contact with the back of his head. “Hey!” He whispered.

“You are rotten!” Judy teasingly chided him.

“I would’ve done the same.” Ed winked and chuckled as he followed Judy to their room.

The next few days were very routine as Gibbs and Ducky finally joined the group. Mornings were relatively early, the girls waking anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30. Vivi would generally take a walk with them and whoever else was up and interested before breakfast.

After breakfast, they packed everything they needed for the girls and themselves and hauled it down to the beach. Fortunately, they were staying ocean side and didn’t have very far to go or any streets to cross. Once they set up on the beach, the rotation of playing with Kate or watching Jenny began. Splashing in the waves, digging holes, lying in the sun or shade, and conversing with one another or just taking a nap.

When lunch rolled around, it was back inside for sandwiches and snacks. Vivi or Tony would get the girls fed and down for a nap. It wasn’t unusual for one of them to also take a nap with them. Those who were still up retreated to the swimming pool for a while.

Evenings consisted of showers, and then out to dinner or shopping before returning to the house for a final walk on the beach before winding down for bed.

“I’m bummed you two have to leave in the morning.” Vivi smiled sadly at Abby and Tim. “It’s nice having everyone together.”

“Yeah, this has been so nice! I’m going to miss you guys!” Abby shifted to the side under the umbrella to make room for Vivi so she could nurse Jenny.

“Well, we’re all going to dinner together tonight, so we have plenty of time.”

“Tim’s right, plenty of time.” Judy smiled before returning to the book in her lap.

“Mommy!!!” Kate came running as fast as her little legs could carry her through the sand.

“What baby?”

“Look it!” She held a small, perfectly formed conch shell in her hand.

“Oh, that’s so pretty! Did you find that all by yourself?”

She turned and pointed at Gibbs, who flopped down in one of the chairs next to them. “Boss find it.”

Everyone snickered at her habit of calling Gibbs ‘Boss’. “Yeah, but you helped me!”

“I think we have enough shells to create our own beach in the backyard.” Tony chuckled as he set Kate’s bucket down next to the cooler.

“Oh perfect, just what we need!” Vivi laughed. “Tony, hand me a water please.”

“I’m sure that you can find some little craft to make with them,” Ducky added.

“Hmm, maybe we can make that your job, Duck,” Tony laughed.

“Ok, well, hey, it’s about lunch and nap time. Why don’t we get Kate and go in?” Vivi readjusted her swim top and passed Jenny to Abby. Looking up, she didn’t see Kate. “Tony!” She gripped his shoulder as she stood up. “Tony, where’s Kate?!” She was trying desperately to keep her voice calm.

“What? She’s right,” Tony looked at where she’d been playing in the sand only to see her abandoned bucket. “Shit! Kate!” Tony’s voice rang across the beach as he shot up.

Vivi was doing everything she could not to burst into tears. “Kate!” Her voice cracked as she headed towards where they’d been looking for shells.

Gibbs and the others were already on their feet behind them calling for Kate, while Abby remained with Jenny.

“Tony, where is she?” Vivi was panicking as she grabbed his arm. The beach where they were located was, unfortunately, not one manned by a lifeguard; hazard of a less populated area. But, there were still several families out and it was hard to pinpoint where she could have gone.

Several feet down the shore, Gibbs spotted her. He couldn’t deny the panic he felt rising in his chest having truly lost his own daughter. He walked calmly over to her. “Well, hey there.” He crouched down next to her.

“Hi, Boss.” She was completely unaware of the scare she had caused them all.

“Don’t you ‘hi Boss’ me. You scared your Mommy and Daddy real bad.” Gibbs scooped her up and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Tony!”

“Oh god.” Tony grabbed Vivi’s arm as they raced towards Gibbs.

Vivi immediately took her from Gibbs, clutching her close to her chest, and sobbing into her hair.

Tony guided them back to their things before they set Kate down to give her a once over.

“Caitlin Sophia DiNozzo, don’t you ever do that again! You don’t walk away from me or Daddy or any of us out here!” Her tone was harsh.

Kate saw the tears streaming down her mother’s face and began to cry. “I sorry Mommy.” She collapsed into Vivi’s arms as she cried, a little scared and confused by Vivi’s reaction.

“Alright, let’s go inside. We can talk about this after everyone’s had a minute.” Gibbs stepped in as the voice of reason for the shaken parents.

Tony nodded, taking Jenny from Abby and wiping a few tears from his own eyes.

The rest of the afternoon was a little subdued. After lunch, Tony and Vivi both laid down for a nap with the girls between them in their bed. Both agreeing to remind Kate more often to stay with one of them at all times; an issue that hadn’t really come up for them until now. Everyone else spent their afternoon by the pool until it was time to get cleaned up and changed for dinner.

By the time they got to dinner, moods were much lighter. They put the events from earlier behind them and just enjoyed one another’s company.

“Hey, where is that marker I saw earlier?” Tony asked as they all filed into the house after dinner.

“Why do you need a marker?” Ed looked at him strangely.

Vivi rolled her eyes and laughed. “So he can mark his container in the fridge.”

Ed laughed. “I don’t blame you! Can never be too careful with your leftovers!”

“See! Ed gets it! There are too many people here with containers. I don’t want anyone thinking they can just take what they want.”

“You say that as if it’s a big problem for you. Last I checked you were the one taking leftovers.” Tim leaned on the counter and smirked at Tony.

Tony went to defend himself and Gibbs stopped him. “It’s not even worth it, DiNozzo.”

“Babe, the marker should be in that drawer there.” Vivi pointed to the drawer next to the fridge as she set her container down. “Could you label mine too?” She gave him a wink and carried a sleeping Jenny back to their room.

“Here, you can just keep mine. It will save you from sneaking it later.” McGee sat his on the counter. “Plus, I’m not working on my ‘dad bod’.” He grinned and headed to the sofa.

Tony stood there with his mouth open and looked down at himself. “You know what, McGoo…”

“What, Tony?” He egged him on.

“Do I have to slap you two on my vacation?” Gibbs had been holding a sleeping Kate and watched the exchange.

“No boss, you don’t. Here, I’ll just…put Kate to bed.” Tony collected his sleeping daughter from Gibbs and joined Vivi who’d just finished putting Jenny to sleep.

After laying Kate down, he sat on the edge of the bed while Vivi changed.

“What’s up?” Vivi asked when she saw the look on Tony’s face. “Tony?” She pulled her t-shirt down, stood in front of him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Do I have a ‘dad bod’?”

“What?” Vivi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Tony rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Nevermind.”

“Oh babe, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She straddled his lap and held him tightly. “What do you mean by ‘dad bod’?”

“I think it was McGee’s funny way of telling me I’ve gained some weight.”

“Well, hey, me too. Jenny is six months old, and it’s not like I’ve tried to get back in shape. I’ve got stretch marks and my boobs have gone from up here, to here.” She laughed as she held her hand under her breasts.

Tony laughed. “Yeah, but you had our babies. I didn’t.”

“True, but our lives are crazy and, to be fair, we both keep up pretty good with two girls. On top of that, your job is pretty physically demanding and you’ve been doing good as far as I can tell.” She ran her hands through his hair before resting them on his cheeks. “If you want to, after vacation, we can help each other shape up a bit.”

Tony nodded. “Thanks.”

“But, just so you know,” she pressed a kiss to his lips, “you’re just as sexy to me as you were when we first met six years ago. If you want, we can take a little midnight swim later and I can prove it to you.”

“Oh really?” Tony grinned and laid back on the bed, pulling Vivi with him.

“Mmhmm, but later. After we’re sure everyone is gone or asleep.” She patted his chest and crawled over to her side of the bed.

It was the final few days of their vacation, and the DiNozzo’s were tired. It was not a feeling they were expecting, so they were grateful to Gibbs, Ducky, and Vivi’s grandparents for helping them out with the girls.

“Man, I thought you were supposed to feel relaxed after a vacation!” Tony flopped down at their table in the diner. They were having one final meal before heading back to D.C.

“Not with kids it isn’t,” Gibbs chuckled. “Get used to it, DiNozzo.”

“The worst part will be unpacking everything when we get home. Good thing we had the washer and dryer here. Laundry isn’t on the list at least.” Vivi rested her cheek on her hand as she watched Gibbs entertain the girls and Ducky deep in conversation with her grandparents.

After breakfast, Gibbs put Kate in her carseat. She was not happy that he wasn’t going to be driving with her. “Hey, I’ll see you soon.” He wiped the little tear that had fallen down her cheek.

“I wanna go in you car.”

Gibbs just smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “You be good, I’ll see you later.” He tucked her stuffed Mickey Mouse in next to her before closing the car door.

“I’m so glad you both came down.” Vivi gave Ducky and Gibbs hugs.

“It was our pleasure, dear. I can’t remember the last time I’ve taken a holiday like this one.” Ducky smiled, moving to say goodbye to Ed and Judy before they pulled away.

“Alright, you guys be careful.” Gibbs clapped Tony on the shoulder before he and Ducky climbed into his truck.

“Will do Boss. See you Monday.” Tony called and, with one final wave from Gibbs, he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Well, I think this first trip was a success!” he declared and grabbed Vivi’s hand.

“Definitely! Yearly thing?”

“Absolutely!” He started the engine. “Playlist ready?”

“Yep and,” she turned to the backseat, “the girls are down for the count! We should get a good few hours in before we need to stop.”

“Alright, home here we come.” Tony pulled out onto the highway, officially ending their first family vacation.


	16. Chapter 16

Halloween. A time of year that the DiNozzo’s hadn’t really participated in for a while, despite Kate being three years old.

Tony had a thing about Halloween. He generally was called into work and it was always something really bizarre. So, parties of Halloweens past were always missed and left Vivi on her own to hand out candy.

But, Kate had started a preschool program back in September, and they were having a little party during the week. So, this year they decided to just go for it. She was old enough for a little candy and, if all went well and Tony wasn’t called in, they could possibly visit a few houses.

Once the decision was made to dress up, Vivi had an idea and knew that Tony would go for it without question.

Tony walked inside after work one day in early October, holding a package. “Babe? This was on the steps for you.”

“Let me see.” She plucked it from his fingers after shifting Jenny onto her hip. “Oh! This is actually for you!”

“Really,” Tony grinned as he took the package back from her. “What’s the occasion?”

“Halloween!”

Tony paused, scrunching his brow as he looked at his wife.

“Trust me, you’ll love it!” She was bouncing on her toes.

“Ha ha okay,” he finally broke through the plastic mailing bag and let it drift to the floor as he held the item in his hands. “No way! How did you find this?! Is it-” He looked at the tag. “It is! An authentic Magnum P.I. Hawaiian shirt from Hawaii!”

“You like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it!” He pulled Vivi into a tight hug and peppered her face with kisses. Jenny’s little hands pushed in between their faces, and he sent her into a fit of giggles with loud smooching sounds as he kissed her cheeks.

“Me next!” Kate had run from her coloring to join in on the excitement.

“Yes, you too!” Tony picked her up, giving her kisses and spinning her. “You have the best mommy, you know that?”

Kate nodded, a huge grin plastered on her face.

“So, if I’m going to be Magnum, what about you and the girls?”

“Oh don’t worry! I’ve got a little theme and I have just about everything!”

“A theme, huh?”

“Yep! How does the 80s sound?”

“Sounds great to me!”

When Halloween rolled around, their costumes were perfect in Vivi’s opinion. She had helped Tony pull the rest of his Magnum costume together, and he looked pretty damn good! For herself, she was able to pretty accurately replicate Madonna’s classic chiffon layered look after several trips not only to her own store, but the thrift store. The girls at three years and eight months made two adorably convincing Care Bears.

As they walked their neighborhood, they received several compliments on their costumes, and Kate couldn’t contain her excitement as they reached a new doorstep.

After about an hour, they decided to call it a night. Ginger had been left on her own and they had candy to hand out as well. When they returned, Tony took on candy duty while Vivi bathed the girls and got them to bed.

“You want a break?” Vivi appeared behind Tony on their front steps in her sweats, hair wet from the shower.

“Oh, no more Madonna? I was hoping she’d stick around for a bit,” Tony pouted as he handed her the candy bowl with a kiss.

“Role playing as Madonna and Magnum? Interesting. Maybe another night.” She winked and gave him a quick elbow.

“Hey, don’t knock it until we try it!” Tony chuckled and headed upstairs to get changed. The Magnum gear had been fun, but these jeans were way tighter than he normally wore, and it was getting a little too uncomfortable to tolerate much longer.

He entered their bedroom, tossed his hat on the bed and pulled off the false mustache as his phone began to ring. It was McGee. A case had come in and he needed to come in ASAP, leaving no time to change. “Shit.” He huffed and jogged back down to let Vivi know. Grabbing his keys, he gave her one last kiss before hopping in the car.

Stepping off of the elevator, he quickly moved to his desk to grab his go bag, hoping that he would have a few minutes to change before they headed to their scene.

“Nice pants Tony,” Ellie couldn’t help but laugh as she said it.

“Hey,” he straightened up and pointed at her. “It’s part of my costume and they were very popular in the 80s.”

“Who are you supposed to be?” McGee asked, immediately receiving an ‘are you joking’ look from Tony.

“He’s Magnum P.I., McGee,” Gibbs spoke as he rounded his desk to grab his badge and gun. “No time, Tony, you’ve gotta go as is, grab your gear.”

“Damnit,” Tony mumbled as he grabbed his bag, following behind the team. He was never going to hear the end of this, but he had a good night with his girls. It was worth it.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Tony leaned back at his desk chair as he talked to Vivi.

“Kate has a double ear infection, Jenny has one ear that’s looking pretty bad, but not infected, and I have bronchitis.” VIvi, turned her head away from the phone as she started coughing. “I’m picking up our prescriptions now and heading home. Can you pick up dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it. Soup?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, I’ll try to get out of here when I can. Hang in there and I’ll see you tonight.” He held up his hand as Bishop and McGee stopped in front of his desk. The sound of the girls crying came through over the phone and his heart broke.

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too.” He set his phone down and ran a hand over his face.

“Is everything okay?” McGee asked.

“Yeah, the girls and Vivi are sick. Kate caught something after the New Year at preschool and it’s spread.”

“You’re good though right?” McGee was concerned, knowing that since Tony’s bout with the plague years ago, he seemed to catch everything.

“So far I’m good, hoping to keep it that way!” He returned to what was in front of him, the girls on his mind keeping him laser focused. The team was impressed and Gibbs was more than happy to get him home to his family as early as possible.

Vivi and the girls had all been snuggling on the couch or napping since they returned from the doctor. As Tony was arriving home, she had just bathed the girls and they were back to snuggling on the couch.

“Honey, I’m home,” Tony called as he walked in.

“In here,” Vivi replied through her now congested sinuses and increasingly hoarse voice.

“Awe, honey.” He set the bag of carry out on the dining room table that Ginger immediately began to sniff. “Hey, don’t you even think about it.” He pointed to her bed, and she huffed at him as she went to lay down.

“Here, take Jenny.” The baby was asleep and Kate was slowly fading too. “Baby,” Vivi picked up Kate. “Daddy brought some soup. You want to eat?” The little girl nodded as Vivi carried her into the kitchen.

Tony, laid Jenny in the pack-n-play before bringing the food into the kitchen. He looked over at Kate who was holding her hands to her ears. “Katie? You okay, princess?”

“My ear.” A few tears slipped down her cheeks, and she rubbed her ears.

Vivi had Kate’s medicine in her hand as she took a small bowl of soup over to the table. “Here, baby, take this.”

“Nooo, Mommy.” She pushed Vivi’s hand away.

“Sweetie, it’ll make you feel better.” Vivi let her hands fall as Kate cried. She looked over at Tony, a silent plea for help.

Tony handed VIvi a bowl and took the medicine, placing it on the table. “Alright, Katie, come on.” He picked her up and sat down with her in his lap. “Let’s have a few bites first.” He was able to convince her to eat some soup before trying the medicine again.

Vivi sat back and watched Tony, always amazed at how he could go from being the complete goofball she married to ‘dad mode’ without hesitation.

“Here, you have to have this now.”

“No Daddy. I don’t want it.” Kate threw her head back against Tony’s chest, crying again.

Tony thought for a moment, not wanting to force it, but knowing she would feel better. “You know who would take this if they were sick?” He looked down at the reflection of his own blue eyes staring tearfully up at him. “Boss.”

Kate’s eyes went wide. “Boss?”

VIvi had to cover up a laugh as she listened. She and Tony couldn’t figure it out, but Kate was all but obsessed with GIbbs; he was without a doubt her favorite person. “Should we call him?” Vivi asked, her voice cracking.

“Good idea, Mommy!” Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and called GIbbs.

“Gibbs.” His voice came through as Tony put his phone on speaker and Kate’s face lit up.

“Hey Boss, I have a quick favor. Your biggest fan doesn’t believe that you would take your medicine to help you feel better.”

“Oh yeah, you’ve gotta take that medicine, Kate. Only way you’ll feel better.” Gibbs could hear her sniffles. “That’s an order, Kate.”

“Okay, Boss.” Kate’s little voice squeaked through her sniffs.

“Good girl. Now, you take your medicine and get better soon.”

“Thanks, Boss.” Tony shared a look with VIvi, impressed at how easily he swayed Kate.

“No problem.”

“Alright, you heard the Boss man.” Tony held up the medicine, and Kate took it quickly.

“You think she’ll always listen to only GIbbs?” Vivi asked as she followed Tony out while he carried Kate to the steps.

“I hope not!” He glanced over to Vivi. “You got her?”

“Yeah.” She gingerly lifted Jenny and followed Tony up the stairs.

“Hey, I’m gonna shower.” Tony popped his head in Jenny’s room where Vivi was getting her resettled in her crib.

“Okay, don’t be too long, I’d like to try and steam some of this crap out before bed.” She pointed to her face as she met him in the hallway.

“How about you go first then. I’ll go clean up downstairs.” He kissed the top of her head and returned to the kitchen.

Vivi was in the shower and was using the hot water to her advantage to cough and blow what she could out of her system.

“That is so hot,” Tony kidded as he entered the bathroom.

“Shut up!” Vivi croaked as she coughed from laughing. Stepping out of the shower, Tony was in front of her, already undressed and ready to step into the shower. She arched her brow as she looked him up and down.

“Back off, Typhoid Mary!” He gripped her shoulders and moved her aside so he could get into the shower.

“You’re no fun!” Vivi grumbled as she went to change for bed.

Tony chuckled as he stepped under the spray. As he left the bathroom fifteen minutes later, he shook his head as VIvi was passed out on top of the duvet. He gently placed the blanket from the foot of their bed on top of her before climbing in on his side.

The next few nights were less than peaceful, and Tony was feeling the sleep deprivation. Vivi assured him they would be fine during the day, and he should just go to work.

“DiNozzo!” GIbbs called across the bullpen as he watched Tony head bobbing in front of his computer for the umpteenth time that day.

“Yeah, Boss!” He startled and brought his hands to his keyboard.

“Go home!” Gibbs stood in front of his desk.

“Huh?”

“Go. Home.” he said again as he walked to his desk. “You’ve got two sick kids, a sick wife, and you look like crap. We don’t need you getting sick too. Go home.”

“Thanks, Boss.” Tony nodded and went home for the weekend.

“You’re home early,” Vivi commented as Tony walked in and plopped at the end of the couch.

“Yeah, Gibbs sent me home.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“Hey.” Vivi nudged his thigh with her foot. “You’re not coming down with this too are you?”

“No, just tired.” He grabbed the top of her foot and squeezed.

“I’m sorry, babe, we have been a handful.”

“It’s okay.” He opened his eyes and turned his head towards her. “What are you working on?”

“Jenny’s birthday party, I should have had this planned ages ago. Then we got sick and it’s just fallen to the wayside.”

“Mmm, well it doesn’t have to be too crazy. Kate’s wasn’t.” Tony closed his eyes again.

“I know, but I still want it to be well planned even if family is all that comes.” Vivi began to go over what she had planned so far and was asking Tony’s opinion about the cake. “Babe?” She looked up from the notebook in her lap, and his mouth was wide open as he softly snored.

Vivi and the girls were all clear and healthy after about a week and a half. The rest of January was back to normal, and Vivi had Jenny’s first birthday planned.

The day of the party was a sunny February day with some snow on the ground that had fallen earlier in the week. Kate couldn’t stop talking about the cake and helping Jenny open her presents. Jenny wasn’t really sure what was happening and was a little on the crankier side as she was passed around; she’d missed her nap.

Despite her ‘no-nap’ demeanor, Jenny dove face first into her cake and tore through her presents with Kate’s help.

As the evening was winding down, food was packed away, family and friends said their goodbyes, and the girls were put to bed.

Vivi came back downstairs and Tony was lounging on the couch, the back of his hand resting on his forehead. “You okay, babe?” She nudged his shoulder so he would sit up.

“I’ve got a headache.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as he laid back into Vivi’s lap.

“Here?” She gently rubbed between his eyes.

“Mmhmm.”

“Well, it’s either your sinuses or just tired.”

Tony groaned. “I thought I was free and clear of getting sick by now.”

“Yeah, but it happens.” She continued to gently massage his forehead. “Don’t worry, the girls and I will take care of you.”

“Thanks honey.” He let himself slowly drift off as Vivi turned on the TV.


End file.
